Your property taxes will be going up in December if you live in Columbia. School board members voted yesterday to increase the property tax rate by 4-and a quarter cent for every $100 of assessed value. KBIA's Sara Wittmeyer explains what the money will be used for and why some board members say now is not the time to be raising taxes.

The board voted 5-2 yesterday to approve the increase- with Michelle Pruitt and Ines Segert voting against it. Under state law the board has the authority to raise the property tax rate by as much as 8 cents without taking the issue to the voters. The amount the board approved was a 4-and-a quarter cent increase. That means the average owner of a 100-thousand dollar home will pay about $8.00 more per year. Board vice-president Tom Rose says he voted in favor of the increase.

"Seeing that the assessed valuations did go down and people also paid less in state sales tax and then those two items have an effect on what we were trying to do as far as our state budget was concerned allows for this small increase for us to do."

The tax is expected to generate about $700 thousand dollars. All that money will be used to increase teacher salaries who have gone on to further their education. Money to do this was not allocated in the original budget. Now board members will amend the budget in September to add in the salary increase. You'll notice the tax increase on your bill in December. Calls made to Segert and Pruitt were not returned by our deadline. © Copyright 2012, KBIA