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Elwood board debates exceeding tax cap to avert $2.2M in cuts; trustees ask administrators to lower ask toward 4.25%
Summary
School business officials proposed a 5.39% tax levy to erase a $2.2 million deficit; the board directed administrators to seek further reductions, with several trustees expressing a preference near 4.25% to balance program preservation and taxpayer impact.
Elwood Union Free School District officials presented a budget proposal that would exceed New York State's tax levy limit, asking the board to consider a 5.39% levy to eliminate a $2.2 million projected shortfall.
The proposal, laid out by Tanya Duncan in a budget workshop, would close the district's estimated deficit and maintain current programs and staffing. Duncan told the board the initial shortfall was about $2.7 million and that targeted reductions had lowered it to $2.2 million, while an alternative with a 5.39% levy would eliminate the deficit.
The issue matters because New York's tax levy formula restricts how much a school district can increase taxes without voter approval. At the district's calculated tax cap of 1.29%, administrators said they would have to cut about $2.2 million —…
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