Board approves consent agenda and adopts estimate of needs; finance director warns building fund will be tight by November

The Bartlesville Public Schools board approved its routine consent agenda and adopted the district's estimate of needs after a presentation from finance director Mister Burke.

Burke told the board the general fund sits about $450,000 ahead of last August but the building fund is weaker after the district moved $900,000 of property and liability insurance expense into that fund as a strategic decision to offset expiring COVID-related funds. "Our building fund is not as healthy," Burke said, adding that without planned large invoice payments and net-assessed-valuation timing the building fund could be "pretty bottom of the barrel" by November.

On the estimate of needs, Burke explained that the document compiles 2023-24 reports and the district's anticipated revenue for the coming year; with board approval it becomes the district's appropriations number. He reported the millage for publication as 30.57 mills and estimated the next estimate of needs would be close to 30'31 mills assuming no unforeseen events. After brief discussion about net-assessed-valuation growth (about 4.25% this period) and timing of property-tax collections, the board approved the estimate by a voice/aye vote.

The board also heard Burke's procedural update that the deadline for sanctioning applications was Sept. 15 and that those applications would be presented for approval in October as consent-agenda items. No member requested that any consent item be pulled for separate discussion.

Votes recorded in the meeting transcript show the consent agenda passed with a series of ayes and the estimate of needs passed by a similar voice vote; the meeting minutes should be consulted for the formal roll-call record.

The board scheduled future meetings including a regular October meeting and site-update special meetings in late October and November.