Platteville Public Schools landowners will pay a lower rate on their property taxes when tax bills come out in one month.

The property tax mil rate will drop to $10.73 per $1,000 assessed valuation, down 7.7 percent from $11.38 per $1,000 one year ago.

The drop is the result of a higher-than-expected increase in the school district’s property values, 8.39 percent, which resulted in a drop, instead of the estimated mil rate increase at the school district’s annual meeting Aug. 25.

School district business manager Art Beaulieu called the valuation increase “the most that it’s ever gone up that I recall.”

The owner of a $150,000 house in the school district will pay $1,609.50 in school taxes, down from $1,707 last year — assuming the valuation of the house doesn’t change.

The School Board voted Monday night to certify the 2014–15 tax levy of $8.616 million.

The board also voted in favor of a series of budget changes from the annual meeting that added $10,037 to the budget. The school district added $106,055 in instructional costs and “non-program services,” while cutting $182,608 in support services, including buildings and grounds, food services and technology expenses.

District superintendent Connie Valenza said the cut is partly the result of using leftover funds from last year’s budget for some buildings and grounds and technology spending out of this year’s budget.

Valenza noted state aid increased 1.27 percent, but federal aid decreased 11.33 percent.