Fairport Central reviews proposed voter proposition to buy two zero‑emission buses, delays possible amid grant uncertainty

Fairport Central School District staff presented a draft resolution and budget memo covering planned school bus purchases and a proposed voter proposition to acquire two zero‑emission (electric) buses and charging equipment.

The board heard that the district would present a draft proposition at the March board meeting asking voters to approve the purchase of two zero‑emission buses with associated chargers. Matt, staff member, said the total cost shown in the draft was about $1,196,000, which includes buses at roughly $562,000 each and approximately $72,000 for charging equipment. "We get one‑fifth of the cost reimbursed each year," Matt said, describing the current five‑year amortization used to compute transportation aid and local share.

Why it matters: the proposed purchase would be treated as an exclusion from the local tax cap, meaning the local share not covered by state aid or grants could affect taxpayers unless the district offsets the cost by using reserves or securing grants. Board members repeatedly pressed staff for clearer estimates of the likely local share and the timing of potential grants.

Details of funding, aid and reserves

Staff explained that the district’s transportation aid for eligible bus purchases is amortized (currently shown in the budget as paid back over five years, producing one‑fifth of the aid each year). The draft resolution relies on grants that have not yet been secured, and staff recommended placing the proposal before voters rather than booking the full cost in the general fund without confirmed grant revenue. Matt said the district had applied for multiple funding sources, including a $400,000 award from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), an EPA grant for which officials had sought an extension, and potential incentives through NYSERDA and the state bus incentive program.

Board members asked for more detail on how grants would stack with aid and whether the district would be asked to commit to purchases before grants were confirmed. "The vendors aren't going to put us on the hook for buying a bus without grants when we're trying to maximize the revenue piece," Matt said, describing vendor behavior and the district’s intent to avoid placing orders until grant eligibility and timing are clearer.

Reserve balance and typical purchases

Beth, board member, asked about the capital bus reserve; staff estimated the reserve balance at "I want to say $700,000 or so." Board members and staff noted the reserve had been used in prior years (the district used about $620,000 from the bus reserve previously to reduce local share on a voter‑approved purchase). The district typically purchases about nine buses per year (Matt said it "varies 9 or 10" and that in some years purchases reached 11 when small buses were included). For comparison, staff showed a separate line for the nine conventional buses that together cost roughly $1,806,000 in the proposed budget (a stated increase of about 2% from the prior year). Matt said buses are typically kept about 10 years.

Board concerns and next steps

Several board members urged caution. Brian, board member, said he was concerned about asking voters to approve a large purchase before grant details and infrastructure costs were clear: "I'm almost wondering, instead of stressing our community on this right now, if the state is gonna keep kicking it down, maybe we wait another year until the grants are clear and clarified, and we would know exactly what we're asking our community to pay." Another board member raised infrastructure questions, including how many chargers Fairport Electric could support and whether a phased capital project to add multiple chargers would be required rather than adding chargers piecemeal.

Staff said the draft resolution would be brought back for formal consideration at the March board meeting and that they would work with vendors, John Kidd, and others to obtain more precise estimates of which grants could be secured and how aid and grant dollars would interact. Matt said staff would aim to provide the board with grant stacking scenarios and an estimate of the likely local share before the March meeting.

No formal vote on the bus proposition was taken at this meeting; staff described the item as a draft resolution for potential action in March.