Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Conestoga Valley previews 2.5% millage increase, $1 million shortfall ahead of final vote
Summary
District staff told the board a 2.5% proposed millage increase would raise the rate to 15.762 (about $82 more for the average homeowner) and leave roughly a $1 million deficit to be covered from assigned fund balance; the board will consider final approval next Monday.
At the June 10 Conestoga Valley School District board meeting, a district finance staff member presented a preliminary budget that would raise the millage rate 2.5% to 15.762, an increase the presenter said would amount to about $82 per average homeowner.
The staff member said the proposal leaves about a $1,000,000 gap between roughly $92,000,000 in projected revenues and $93,000,000 in expenses and that the district planned to use assigned fund balance to cover the shortfall while finalizing figures for next Monday’s vote. “At a 2.5% millage rate increase, the millage rate will increase to 15.762, and that's an $82 increase per average homeowner,” the staff member said.
The presenter identified specific factors affecting the outlook: roughly $90,000 of additional ACCESS revenue tied to special-education reimbursements, a projected $67,000 increase in property-liability insurance, and the possibility of up to about $100,000 in prescription-cost savings if favorable information holds. The staff member characterized some items as volatile and said the district still expects to use assigned fund balance and that, after small adjustments, the draft budget showed a surplus of just under $5,000 in one scenario.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the figures and about potential recurring costs. The staff member said there was no update on the state budget and that the district did not expect a finalized state budget by June 30; any state action later in the year could change the projections.
Why it matters: the millage rate affects local property-tax bills and the board must adopt a final budget and associated resolutions at next week’s meeting. The district’s use of assigned fund balance to cover the projected deficit and pending state-budget uncertainty are likely to shape final deliberations.
The board is scheduled to consider final budget resolutions and the millage rate at its next meeting.
