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Finance director outlines $342 million general-fund oversight, Incident IQ ticketing and facilities work
Summary
Business and finance director Mister Karas briefed the board on a $342,000,000 general-fund budget, a biweekly gross payroll of about $5.4 million, tax-collection activity, a jump in building-maintenance tickets to roughly 5,200 in the year, and near-term facilities work including a building-condition survey.
Mister Karas, director of the district’s business and finance division, told the board the office oversees a $342,000,000 general-fund budget and detailed operational metrics intended to improve district services and transparency.
Karas said the district’s biweekly gross payroll is about $5,400,000 and that accounts-payable activity includes more than 200 checks weekly when capital projects are included. He reported early-season in-person tax collection activity (95 community members in two weeks compared with about 100 for the previous month) and said the business office is receiving a high volume of calls related to tax payments.
On facilities and maintenance, Karas described the district’s Incident IQ ticketing system, noting a sharp increase in recorded issues: "In the last year… there was almost 5,200 tickets" (compared with roughly 200 in the previous paper-based system), which staff use to triage HVAC and other building needs. He also said phase 4 of Albany High School work was substantially complete and a district building-condition survey is expected by the end of the calendar year.
Karas highlighted the scale of school meal operations—"1,500,000 meals that were served last year alone"—and credited Food Service and contractor Aramark for supporting that expansion.
Board members asked follow-up questions about groundskeeping, liability and community access to turf and track facilities. Karas said grass fields remain open while turf and track access require staffing and maintenance plans to avoid damage and liability; he described staff perimeter checks and maintenance scheduling to manage public use.
Several board members suggested improvements to the district’s external reporting and scheduling tools. A board member noted the district’s contact form and advocated exploring a community-facing report system like the city’s ClickFix; Karas and members identified staff capacity and the need for a staffed response as prerequisites to a public-facing reporting tool.
The board thanked Karas for the presentation and requested further information on community access protocols and multi-year budget views that integrate general and federal funds.
