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Batavia officials preview $63.31 million 2025–26 budget; proposed tax levy up 2.22%
Summary
Business officer presented a draft $63,310,108 general fund budget with a proposed tax levy increase of 2.22% (about $451,000); board set review and hearing dates and discussed major revenue and expenditure drivers.
The Batavia Board of Education received an overview of the preliminary 2025–26 general fund budget, which staff presented as a $63,310,108 draft that would increase the district’s tax levy by 2.22 percent, an increase of approximately $451,000 over the current levy.
Business official Mr. Lyon summarized the revenue and expenditure picture: state aid (foundation aid) is projected to rise by about 7.5 percent and is the largest revenue source; the draft reduces the amount of appropriated fund balance used to balance the budget; and other revenues—chiefly interest earnings—are expected to increase. On the expenditure side, salary and benefit costs drive most of the increase, including a projected 12 percent rise in health insurance and higher employer contributions to the state Employees’ Retirement System. The draft also adds an information-technology operations analyst.
Mr. Lyon outlined the board calendar: the board is scheduled to complete budget review and adopt the budget on April 21, hold a budget hearing on May 12 at 6 p.m. in the superintendent’s conference room, and the district budget vote is on May 20. He noted that the full-value tax-rate projection in the draft increases from $15.70 per $1,000 of assessed value to $16.05 per $1,000—an increase of $0.35 per $1,000. Using that illustration, the projection represents roughly a $70 increase on a $200,000 full-value home and roughly a $35 increase on a $100,000 full-value home; Mr. Lyon said the projection used last year’s assessed values and the district will use final rolls when they are available.
Board members asked clarifying questions about interfund transfers and the district’s approach to federally funded positions. Mr. Lyon said interfund transfers include amounts to the capital fund for annual capital outlay projects and to the special aid fund for the district’s share of certain special-education summer tuition; he said the district has shifted some grant-funded positions into the general fund where possible to reduce risk if federal funding were to change. He told the board the draft tax-levy increase stays within the state-calculated maximum allowable increase.
No budget adoption vote occurred during this presentation; the board set review and public-hearing dates as part of the budget calendar.
