Trumansburg board previews $32.12 million budget; plans buses, electrification study

The Trumansburg Central School District’s business administrator presented the board with a proposed $32,120,230 general fund budget for 2025–26, a 3.18% increase over the prior year, and said the district’s property-tax levy would rise by 3.37% — which the administrator said is within New York’s tax-cap rules.

The presentation framed the numbers by function code rather than object code and highlighted a higher equipment line, increased salary lines tied to recently renegotiated bargaining agreements and expected rises in contracted BOCES services and tuition-driven special-education placements. “We’re getting closer to budget adoption,” the district’s business administrator said, adding the presentation would emphasize larger changes rather than minor line items.

Why it matters: the proposal balances contractual salary increases and program maintenance while limiting reliance on reserves, the administrator said. Major operational items called out included a new districtwide equipment allocation (items over $500), adjustments in transportation coding and a planned use of unassigned fund balance for near-term vehicle purchases.

Key details and quotes - Total proposed general fund: $32,120,230 (3.18% increase). The administrator said the levy would rise 3.37% and that a tax-cap calculation and a one-page ‘‘tax/levy quote card’’ would be posted for public transparency. - Equipment and maintenance: the presentation raised the equipment allocation to permit cross-building prioritization of capital needs, with the administrator saying the change drove a roughly 7% movement in the affected grouping of codes. - Transportation and vehicles: the district plans to use unassigned fund balance to buy two full-size propane buses, one hybrid student-transport van and a stake-rack dump truck rather than immediately drawing from a voter-authorized vehicle reserve (the administrator said recent purchases had exhausted that reserve). Those vehicles were described as being procured through state contracts and cooperative bids. - Fleet electrification: the district received grant funding to fully pay for a fleet electrification study, the administrator said, noting that current state legislation envisions an electric-vehicle target by 2027; propane buses were described as an interim lower-emission option until timelines or funding change. - School meals: in response to a board member’s question, the administrator confirmed free breakfast and lunch continue through the end of the current school year (June) and described current reimbursements as part of state/federal assistance programs.

The presentation explained adjustments to BOCES administrative costs and special-education tuition lines as based on updated enrollment and placement projections. The superintendent and staff told trustees they will return in two weeks with updated information, including any effects of additional retirements or staffing changes and the posted tax-cap calculation.

What’s next: the board will continue budget review at its next meeting and will post additional transparency documents. If the district puts a vehicle-reserve proposition to voters it must be established and funded before the district may expend from that reserve, staff said.