If anything was discovered during the Kingfisher school board’s next moves regarding its 2024-25 budget, it’s that a lot still remains unknown.

And that could include the timeliness of property owners receiving their tax bills from the county treasurer… but not the deadline in which they have to be paid.

“We’re trying to get answers,” said Interim Superintendent Andy Evans near the end of the discussion at Monday’s November regular meeting of the board of education.

Evans was discussing with the board the Supreme Court’s recent decision to not assume original jurisdiction in the district’s dispute with the Kingfisher County Excise Board.

The excise board last month voted to amend Kingfisher Public Schools’ estimate of needs from just over $16.2 million to about $14.2 million (36 mills to just over 20 mills).

Stating it would create an “untenable” situation for the school district this year and one that would create a domino effect for state aid next year as well, the district asked the Supreme Court to step in.

The Supreme Court released its decision just over a week ago that it wouldn’t take part in the matter.

“What we’ll need to decide is how the board wants to proceed with this,” Evans said at the meeting.

Evans is still awaiting information from the state Department of Education that will further allow him to determine how the amended budget will affect the school district moving forward.

Outside of the local entities involved, Evans mentioned the Oklahoma Tax Commission, Oklahoma State Board of Equalization and the state auditor.

“This is a precedent that’s just a little bit interesting,” Evans noted.

One option for the district is to seek a stay in the issuance of taxes through district court.

However, Evans told the Times & Free Press that in his separate conversations with board members, they were cautious of disrupting other parts of Kingfisher County.

“I had two board members tell me in almost identical words that they do not want to negatively affect other districts in the county or the public safety of Kingfi sher County by utilizing a court case to disrupt everyone else’s money, even though the excise board is forcing a situation that will negatively affect our district,” Evans said.

Evans asked board members after the Supreme Court’s decision if they wanted to call a special meeting to seek action through district court.

“None of them asked for a special meeting to move to district court at this time,” Evans said. “The board’s position is still that the excise board acted outside its authority.

“This must be straightened out for the good of everyone and to protect the education of students.”

County Assessor Carrie Turner was among those in the audience.

“Do you know that a delay in this process will hold up your funding?” she asked. Evans said he was aware, which is why the district sought the emergency order from the Supreme Court. Turner said she is still unable to fulfill her role because she doesn’t know the amount of the school levies. “I just know I can’t do my job, which is to get the tax roll to the treasurer so that she can get the taxpayers their bills and so I’m just waiting to see what happens,” she said. The county treasurer sends out tax bills in November. They are payable Nov. 1. However, Turner said she doesn’t have all the information she needs to complete it on her end. “So it’s just going to make it hard to get your money and for the taxpayers to pay a bill because they’re not going to get one,” she said. However, that doesn’t mean taxes won’t be due at their normal time. Turner said she spoke with Nancy Grantham, who is the executive specialist for the state Board of Equalizaton, earlier in the day, and she confirmed as much.

“The bad news for the taxpayer is even though we don’t get those bills sent out to them, they are still required to pay their taxes even though we don’t know what the school levy is,” Turner said.

“They won’t get a bill because of the pending litigation and they’ll still have to pay.”

Evans reiterated to the Times & Free Press that school board members told him they didn’t want to disrupt other parts of the county processes, which is why no legal action had been filed as yet.

Evans told Turner that he’d call Grantham on Tuesday to discuss the board’s stance.

“If there is a legal hold on the issue of the taxes, the school was not aware of any action on the school’s part that was a purposeful delaying tactic to deprive any other entity of the funding necessary to complete their required duties or a reason for the Kingfisher County taxpayers to not receive a tax bill in a timely manner even if we disagree about the assessed General Fund millages for Kingfisher Public Schools,” Evans said.