Votes at a glance: key board actions from the June 24 Southmoreland meeting

Below are the formal actions and recorded outcomes from the Southmoreland School District board meeting on June 24, 2025, summarized for quick reference. Motions are listed in the order they appeared on the agenda where practical.

1) Final budget (2025–26) - Motion: Approve the 2025–26 final budget with revenues and expenditures of $37,104,530, including a 1.99-mill increase for Westmoreland County and a 0.6587-mill increase for Fayette County. - Outcome: Approved on reconsideration; roll-call tally recorded as yes 6, no 2.

2) Act 93 administrators' agreement - Motion: Approve the district administrators Act 93 agreement for 07/01/2025 through 06/30/2030. - Outcome: Approved; roll-call tally recorded as yes 5, no 4.

3) Homestead and Farmstead exclusion (gaming tax distribution) - Motion: Adopt the resolution to accept and distribute gaming tax funds ($1,634,369) to qualified homestead/farmstead properties for 2025–26. - Outcome: Approved (voice vote); no roll-call tally recorded in the minutes excerpt.

4) Continuation of Act 511 local taxes (Earned Income Tax, Emergency and Municipal Services Tax, real estate transfer tax) - Motion: Continue all Act 511 levies for the 2025–26 fiscal year as required by the Local Tax Enabling Act. - Outcome: Approved (voice vote); continuation required to permit collection of these local taxes.

5) Adoption of real estate tax rates (School Code section 6-687) - Motion: Adopt the proposed real estate tax levies for 2025–26 as presented in the board package. - Outcome: Adopted on a roll-call vote; board counsel advised the mills are now set and adjustments would require reconsideration.

6) Tax-assessment appeal settlement (Parcel 4705000056) - Motion: Approve the tax appeal settlement for Parcel 4705000056, which reduces assessed taxes for the district by a reported net of $18,741 per year (memo shows correction from earlier figure). - Outcome: Approved on roll call; tally recorded as yes 6, no 3.

7) Other approvals (selected routine items) - Personnel log approval; PA Educator renewal ($1,750) for recruitment service; award of milk/beverage RFQ to Turner's Dairy; insurance renewal with DeFevero Montreal Insurance Brokers; budget transfer of $78,331.71 to capital projects to fund a stadium rock wall; van purchase (used 2022 Chrysler Voyager) pending extended-warranty condition; wrestling mat purchase with parent associations covering two-thirds of cost. - Outcome: These items were approved by the board as shown on the meeting record; specific roll-call tallies were not recorded in the excerpt for each routine item and are listed on the official minutes.

Notes on procedure - Several motions required roll-call votes to meet statutory requirements (budget, tax levies). Some items were first debated and then reconsidered before passage. When a motion was reopened, the board followed parliamentary guidance that a motion to reconsider is typically made by a member of the prevailing side; the board used that path to reopen and then pass the budget.

If you need the official minutes, roll-call breakdowns for each item or supporting documents (budgets, resolutions, bond exhibits), those are available with the district clerk as noted in the board packet.