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Business manager: fleet study qualifies Hamilton for NYSERDA funding; equalization drop will raise some homeowners' tax bills
Summary
The district's fleet study with Polara qualified Hamilton for NYSERDA electrification funding and will move to a phase-two electrification plan. The business manager warned a drop in Hamilton's equalization rate (to 85.7%) means many Hamilton property owners will see larger tax-bill increases despite a lower district tax rate.
At the July 15 meeting, the district's business manager told the Hamilton Central School District board that a completed fleet study with Polara has put the district on a list of NYSERDA-qualifying districts and that the next step is a phase-two electrification plan with the local utility.
"We are now on a list of qualifying school districts to have our current work fully funded through NYSERDA grants," the business manager said, describing the fleet study as the step that identifies which buses would be needed to serve existing routes and prepares the district for a follow-up electrification plan.
The district submitted a commitment letter about five weeks before the meeting; Polara and NYSERDA are preparing to start phase two, which the business manager said could be completed in the fall. The second phase will assess power needs and work with the utility to determine load and charger placement.
The business manager also updated the board on a near-final rental agreement to give the community nonprofit CNS additional terrace-level classroom space in the elementary building; the expansion would add roughly four to five rooms (described as five classrooms, with parts of them configured as smaller breakout spaces).
In a longer fiscal explanation, the business manager flagged an equalization-rate change for the town of Hamilton that will affect individual tax bills. "If you look this year, it dropped to 85.7%... our tax rate continues to go down, but the levy is going up 4% and the town of Hamilton is going to bear the brunt of that tax increase," the business manager told the board, urging awareness as tax bills are mailed in September.
Board members asked for clarification about how the equalization rate change would translate to individual tax-bill changes and were told the town-level drop in equalization rate (reported by the business manager) is driving higher apparent increases for Hamilton taxpayers even while the district's overall tax rate fell.
The business manager warned of a new state reporting requirement effective Aug. 1: districts must report annual progress toward an all-electric school-bus fleet by the state's 2027 deadline. The district completed its fleet study this spring and is preparing for the electrification plan phase and subsequent work with local experts and the utility.
No formal vote was required on the fleet study update or the tax explanation; the board was informed that the district expects more details from NYSERDA in the coming weeks.
