LANCASTER : School District Urges Tax on Development

Trustees of the 12,275-student Lancaster School District have proposed levying a school tax on future residential and commercial development in the district, hoping to raise more money for new facilities than through the state’s current developer fee program.

The district’s board of trustees voted 5 to 0 Tuesday night to pursue the formation of a Mello-Roos district to tax future development. The program could raise about $84 million for school facilities over 40 years, but the cost to home buyers, including interest payments, would be about $200 million.

Under the program, a developer could pay an upfront fee of $2.09 per square foot, or about $3,550 for a 1,700-square-foot home, to satisfy the obligation. Or the builder could pass the obligation to new home buyers, who would then owe hundreds of dollars annually over a 40-year period.