‘Still work to be done’ to balance 2016-17 budget
School district officials are trying to determine how to craft a 2016-17 budget with only a $ 35,076 increase in the property tax levy permitted under the state tax cap.
Budget matters were discussed during a Board of Education meeting Wednesday. Officials said the state limit would allow a maximum tax levy of $32.09 million, which is just 0.11 percent larger than the 2015-16 levy. The board can adopt a budget with a larger lev y, but 60 percent of voters would have to favor the proposal for it to take effect. The 0.11 percent cap “translates into ... almost an inability to modify the expenditure budget,” said district Business Manager Bruce Martin.
The c ap would allow the total budget to be about 0.8 percent, or $24,000, larger than this year’s $50.8 million spending plan, officials said.
District of ficials started the budget process t wo months ago with expenses planned at about $1.2 million more than projected revenue.
“That was just maki ng broad assumptions about state aid and tax cap,” Martin said. “At the first March meeting [of the board], we’ll see the comprehensive budget with both (expenses and revenues), but it will probably, at that point, still be out of balance. The expenditures will probably still be exceeding projected revenues, so there’s still work to be done.”
District of f icials expect to appropriate $2.2 million f rom the unexpended f und balance to lower the tax lev y and $2.1 million reserved as an unappropriated fund balance.
Martin said Gov. An- drew Cuomo has not provided much help in projections for state aid to the district.
“Most of the aids in the governor’s proposal were essentially f lat year over year,” Martin said. “... The reality is that it will probably be fairly f lat.” Administrators do expect a roughly $ 100,000 increase in BOCES aid due to additional demand for services. The Red Hook district’s 2015-16 budget, approved over whelmingly by voters last May, is about 2 percent larger than the previous year’s spending plan and has a tax levy that’s 2.34 percent higher.