Board adopts $178.1-million budget, holds the line on taxes

PENNSBURY – Property owners will not pay more in taxes under a $178.1 million budget adopted by the school board June 13.

The budget for the 2013-14 school year, passed unanimously by the nine-member school board, calls for a zero percent tax increase.

Prior to the vote, business administrator Dan Rodgers gave an update on the administration’s steps to reach a balanced budget.

“:e did reduce our salaries and benefits due to additional retirements and resignations in our professional staff and support staff,” Rodgers said. “We also reduced our utility budget. We analyzed and eval- uated it and we appropriated $400,000 more from our fund balance.”

Those were the primary reductions since Rodgers presented a revised budget during a budget hearing on May 28 when the deficit stood at $3.16 million. That was later pared to $1.1 million.

Rodgers said overall the budget process was long. “We worked very hard to present a zero-percent tax increase and a balanced budget for the board to approve tonight,” he said after the meeting.

“Overall, if you look at our total expenditures last year, our total expenditures are up 1.9 percent over the previous budget year,” Rodgers noted. “That’s doing pretty well with some of the increases that we’re faced with on an annual basis. In my estimation we’re really controlling cost and really have a good grip on cost abatement.”

Each year, the school district’s budget managers submit new position requests to the Human Resources Department. “This year we did not add or approve any of those new positions,” he said. “There were a few professional staff and also a few support staff [positions requested].

State revenues budgetary line items were increased by $200,000. The district is receiving information from the state that the number could be closer to $300,000.

In addition, the district’s May duplicates relating to the real estate tax assessments have grown to the tune of $193,000.

The budget review process commenced at the beginning of the year.

For the first draft of the budget, which was released in January, the school district faced a deficit of $7.9 million in terms of balancing revenues and expenses.

The proposed budget was passed on Tuesday, May 9 when the deficit was reduced to $3.1 million.

The $3.1 million deficit was later whittled down to about $1.1 million. At the beginning of June, the deficit was sliced to $440,000.

The school board also approved an $8.5-million bond issue. “The proceeds will be forwarded to the district and we have various projects that are designated,” Rodgers said.

The bond will pay for four primary roof projects - three at the high school complex and one at Edgewood Elementary School.

The district will also purchase new busses, which will cost close to $800,000, and some new technology upgrades.