Three Village sees roughly $7.5 million gap; board weighs staffing cuts, transport changes and property options

Three Village Central School District officials told the district Budget Advisory Committee that, under current assumptions, next year’s projected revenues total about $237.5 million while proposed expenditures total about $245 million — a gap of roughly $7.5 million that the district must close before the board adopts a budget.

The figure matters because the shortfall would require reductions, use of reserves or increases in the tax levy. The district’s presenter said the board plans to adopt the budget on April 9 and that the revenue estimate shown to the committee uses the governor’s executive budget figures; the presenter added the district’s net state-aid increase for general operations is about $238,000 when building aid is excluded. “We’re, actually adopting the budget on April 9,” the staff member said.

The tax levy limit (the district’s “tax cap”) and how the state reports aid were central to the discussion. Administrators said they reduced next year’s planned capital projects from $3,000,000 to $1,500,000 to lower the tax-cap impact; under that capital number the draft levy increase would be about 2.78 percent. The presenter explained that state “building aid” is a reimbursement stream…