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Angola school board reviews bus replacement, capital projects and Form 3 at budget hearing
Summary
At a Sept. 16 public budget hearing, district staff reviewed a five‑year bus replacement plan, trimmed capital projects amid uncertainty from recent state legislation, and presented the Form 3 budget summary that will be posted to the state gateway. The board held the hearing and later voted to adjourn; no levy adoption occurred tonight.
At a public hearing Sept. 16, district staff reviewed a five‑year bus replacement plan, a reduced capital projects list and the Form 3 budget summary that will be posted to the state’s gateway website ahead of the Oct. 21 adoption meeting. The hearing was informational; no tax levy was adopted tonight.
The staff member presenting the budget said the district listed one bus per year in the five‑year plan and estimated a 2026 replacement cost of about $1.55 million. “We’re still having a hard time getting buses, you know, in a timely fashion,” the staff member said, explaining delivery delays in the industry. The plan schedules older buses (model years cited as 2011–2014) to be replaced between 2026 and 2030; beyond 2026 staff said those later-year estimates are preliminary and will be updated annually.
On capital projects, the presenter said several items were reduced from earlier plans because of uncertainty created by recent state changes referred to in the meeting as “Senate rollback 1,” and a larger‑than‑expected estimate from the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) for circuit breaker losses. “Once I knew that, I started lowering this,” the staff member said, describing a conservative approach to projected maintenance and building improvements and noting the district will consider bonds or other non‑operations funding for some acquisitions.
Form 3 — the summary budget the public sees on the gateway site — was shown with meeting and adoption dates and the district’s maximum levy calculations. The presenter described the interplay between the maximum levy, estimated property tax credits (the meeting cited $431,100), and assessed value (AV) growth, noting that if AV grows more than 4 percent the district’s taxable revenue after cap loss could shrink. The presenter summarized: the district is levying near $6.9 million, offset by an estimated $431,100 in cap loss, and anticipates other miscellaneous revenues (vehicle excise, financial institutions tax, local income tax) through 2028. The presenter warned the local income tax allocation currently in the projection ends in 2028.
The district’s rainy day fund was shown at $1.8 million; the presenter said the fund is intended to avoid emergency appropriations that would otherwise require a special hearing and could take 20–30 days.
The hearing concluded with a motion to adjourn the open hearing; the board voted 7–0 to adjourn the hearing. The budget adoption meeting is scheduled for Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. in the same boardroom.
Discussion only: staff presented estimates and conservative adjustments; board did not adopt a levy or make budget commitments tonight. Direction/next steps: staff will post the Form 3 to the gateway and update assumptions as assessed value and state guidance change. Formal action: adjournment of the hearing (motion carried 7–0).
Board members voting on procedural motions during the session included Mr. Archibald, Mr. Beard, Mr. Caswell, Mrs. Maggart, Mr. Poor, Mr. Ridenour and Mr. Story.
