[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6554524,"mediaKeyId","5022793-45efc1420b40e9327edc995ee0450380","parentId",5022793,"title","Board committee reviews turf, HVAC, stadium use and school-site safety; agrees to split middle-school traffic project","audioSeconds",529,"startMs",2091000,"endMs",2620000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5022793-45efc1420b40e9327edc995ee0450380&start=2091&end=2620","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5022793-45efc1420b40e9327edc995ee0450380/thumbnail_2091000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6554524/Pennsylvania/Board-committee-reviews-turf-HVAC-stadium-use-and-school-site-safety-agrees-to-split-middle-school-traffic-project","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6554524-4166625f745a848154b3644bb666af2d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159976&Signature=BnbXSvbjx1vW6XdEVGwF6k1kDMGef0k5eWt6HsKG-q1x4g-w8SKbHb4TX5~ypT~g2v2B4wSbiOrL8VzAAjiEbCxGwKV~uiEAPnKW9gSTtQNg8vj5-XC70xAh5Hit206xsINvIS1aZhQWWX3szntJKTy98TyqEMz-NDuW2MBMpYlGuYMiLnLBnzzxQRZzFLlIKZugPlCktmZQeTbbN23tJeXhuEihmp76MxjMCmvqG7qMiznKDo6yMfyO2kxdxr61jsbP3XeyqS-uw3imLq0LNFdXGr0PBJxPeVMmj6Ayjq2UJ91n~MDKJJZ3HoDhKFGU5c81dOoCq-UwYnscCNQnjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Dover Area School District","date","2025-06-18T05:54:26.117Z","article","The Dover Area School District Facilities & Safety Committee presented a range of operations and capital items including turf-field replacement options, a completed traffic-count component of the facility study, and a plan to split a previously approved $19,000 middle-school traffic-flow project into two separate in-house projects to address bus safety and recess circulation.

Director Mies, the committee chair, said the high school's current turf is a Premier XP product with slit-film fiber and rubber-and-sand infill that has lasted about 15 years; the contractor recommended replacement next summer. The committee reviewed a grass-versus-turf cost analysis: converting the field to grass would cost \"a little over $1,000,000,\" while turf replacement was estimated at about $500,000, and grass requires far higher ongoing maintenance. The committee also cited published safety reviews and a vendor opinion that injury rates on turf do not exceed rates on grass.

On the middle school traffic-flow item, the committee recommended breaking the previously scoped $19,000 project into two separate in-house projects rather than one package. The first project, to be completed before the fall, would address bus safety by relocating an upper gate in front of the main office, adding a peninsula and four bollards, and removing a traffic island so buses can swing into the lot (budgeted around $8,000). The second project, to be scheduled later, would address a lower gate and recess safety (budget estimate about $11,000'$12,000). Facilities staff told the board an outside contractor estimate for doing both projects was about $66,500; doing both in-house was estimated at $19,000 total. Directors discussed bid thresholds: policy requires formal bids over $12,900 unless work is done in-house; the committee said in-house exceptions apply but asked the solicitor to confirm compliance with policy before moving both projects forward.

Committee members reported other updates: an annual turf field test passed and extended the field's usable life for one year; middle-school chiller repairs are underway and were handled in-house; the district is performing broad HVAC preventative maintenance starting with rooftop units at the high school; interior bleachers across the district require annual inspection and the district is preparing an RFP to hire a certified inspector; the district will issue a three-year RFP for waste disposal with an award anticipated in August; a storage-shed build was completed by students, saving the district about $4,000 on what would have been a $6,000 job; and the crossing guard at a busy school crossing resigned and the district is exploring outsourced vendors to fill that role.

Directors asked about scheduling and procurement. Facilities staff said the bus-safety portion could be completed before school begins and recommended approving that work on a shortened timeline; the recess-safety project requires gate fabrication and has longer lead time. Some directors expressed concern about optics if one large project were split to avoid a bidding threshold; the committee said the two projects serve different operational purposes and cited the in-house exception in policy, and the solicitor agreed to review and advise.

Ending: The board acknowledged the committee report and asked administration to confirm the policy and statutory steps for in-house work and to place the bus-safety project on next month's agenda for approval so it can be completed before school starts.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Dover Area School District Board of Directors Meeting 6/17/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The district's Facilities & Safety committee reported updates on turf replacement, a facility study, traffic-flow changes at the middle school (split into two in-house projects), a crossing-guard vacancy, HVAC and chiller repairs, and upcoming contracts for waste disposal and bleacher inspections.","taxTitle","Dover Area SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",76670,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6554529,"Dover tax commission recommends 0.4% earned-income tax increase; school board tables decision",4871,329000,5200000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5022793-45efc1420b40e9327edc995ee0450380&start=329&end=5200","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5022793-45efc1420b40e9327edc995ee0450380/thumbnail_329000.jpg","/articles/6554529/Pennsylvania/Dover-tax-commission-recommends-04-earned-income-tax-increase-school-board-tables-decision","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6554529-051bb1debaf96fc8e4ccd900a49e06bf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159976&Signature=THkYHEI0jCM58ghcqHS41Vlm~nx6Lk-3B5lJ4UX4yXw~h79PH0xHTuH1CqpUGpuFCwvWT1axYdoSWAIj7eDaNIrLJGX0bAt3Oc9KdamUWVEdlonuMva64e72XJwLqu6EC8E6V6IoHmqYJMVZV9FKMWeHUbj0vGEj8s4O1mimnpLyEXoNDDMshKs50EoKO-3jzklLstmQDGSOb9htGBoEnDc7zfsW8CMc0MtLycRw3rIVfGkWA6L3vmtE-hyz2G-1su1S47pBSGOjFJpvUg-yuDQYk~LFMQz55OITGA90SVSwMbZsMvw7k3xga1rbKp7Afx0e~fwWyH8WUuSkV5Ogsg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Alina Ducharme, chair of the Earned Income Tax Commission, told the Dover Area School District board the commission recommends increasing the district's earned-income tax (EIT) by 0.4 percentage points to shift revenue from property taxes to wages and provide property-tax relief for homestead and farmstead owners.

The commission's report, Ducharme said, estimated a 0.4% EIT increase would raise about $2,000,000 in the first year and provide an average homestead/farmstead exclusion worth about $312.50 per qualifying property; the commission estimated the average wage earner would pay roughly $270 more in EIT under that scenario. \"The commission has recommended a point 4% increase in earned income tax,\" Ducharme said during the presentation.

The board and the commission emphasized the increase would not automatically raise district revenue to spend: under the state process discussed at the meeting, EIT revenue taken under the Property Relief Act would be applied to homestead and farmstead exclusions and any margin over the statutory maximum could be used by the board to reduce property taxes or to reduce the EIT rate.

During public comment, Mike Rhodes, a former commission member, said he voted against the recommendation and warned of longer-term impacts on community composition. \"This recommendation benefits families who make less than $78,000 and retirees,\" Rhodes said. \"The winners of this increase are retirees with homes who do not lose income due to the increase in EIT and will also receive a tax break on their property tax. I urge the Board to consider the families who live in the community and the long term effect this will have on the community.\"

Board members pressed the commission on data and implications. Questions included current district EIT rates and how Dover would rank in York County if the increase were adopted; Ducharme said the district's current EIT is 0.9% and the commission's recommendation would bring the school-district portion to about 1.3% (combined local rates could reach 1.8–1.9% depending on county/municipal levies). The commission said it relied on presentations, including two by Dr. Tim Schromm and data from the York Adams Tax Bureau, to produce the estimate and scenarios.

Several board members said they needed more time to read the commission's full recommendation and the supporting slide decks before deciding whether to place a referendum question before voters. Solicitor remarks at the meeting reiterated that the board is the body that decides whether to submit a referendum question to the county board of elections and that the timing must accommodate the election calendar (the board must provide referendum language at least 60 days before an election).

After a motion to accept the commission's recommendation was made and seconded, Director Woolverton moved to table the motion; Director McKinney seconded the tabling motion. The board voted 6–3 in favor of tabling, so the board did not send the question to referendum at this meeting. \"My recommendation would be that the Board take the time to review not only the recommendation but all the documentation that was supplied to them before making a determination,\" the solicitor said during the discussion.

The tabling vote followed objections from directors who said they had not yet fully digested the commission's 37-point rationale and the exhibits and wanted time to consult the public. Directors who supported moving forward argued the commission had spent weeks gathering data and public input and that a timely decision was required to meet election deadlines if the board chose to place a referendum on the ballot.

What happens next: the commission's recommendation remains part of the public record on the district's BoardDocs page. Board members said they would continue reviewing the material and seek public input; if the board later votes to place a question on the ballot it will draft referendum language and submit it to the county Board of Elections within the statutory timeframe.

Ending: The discussion underscored a split among the board over timing and process. Board members on both sides said they wanted voters to decide the taxation question but differed on whether the board had enough information at this meeting to move the recommendation to a ballot measure.","The Dover Area School District Earned Income Tax Commission recommended raising the district earned-income tax by 0.4 percentage points to shift revenue from property taxes; the Board voted 6–3 to table action and said it will review the commission's materials before deciding whether to place a referendum on the ballot.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board committee reviews turf, HVAC, stadium use and school-site safety; agrees to split middle-school traffic project

Dover tax commission recommends 0.4% earned-income tax increase; school board tables decision