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Mahopac Board Advances $148.37 Million Budget, Recommends 0% Tax Levy
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Summary
The Mahopac Central School District presented a $148,369,090 budget for 2026–27 with a 2.23% expenditure increase and a recommended 0% property-tax levy; the plan uses reserves for some capital items and includes voter propositions for bus purchases and a capital reserve.
The Mahopac Central School District on April 21 outlined a proposed $148,369,090 budget for the 2026–27 school year that would raise expenditures 2.23% while keeping the property-tax levy at 0%.
Finance presenter Alyssa Murph summarized district priorities in the budget presentation, saying the plan seeks to “maintain all academic programs and extracurricular activities,” expand high-school pathway opportunities and continue scheduled replacements. Murph said enrollment is largely steady at about 3,886 students with a projected decline of 59 students next year and that the district’s program spending accounts for roughly 80% of the budget.
The nut of the proposal is the revenue mix: state aid (figures still preliminary) and the local property-tax levy, which Murph said the board set at 0% for the coming year. Murph detailed reserve use on the revenue side, noting several reserve funds (capital, employee benefits and tax-reduction reserves) and explaining that some appropriations would reduce the district’s adjusted restricted fund balance compared with the current year.
Murph also described three voter-facing propositions. Proposition 2 would fund bus purchases under the district’s replacement plan: one 30-passenger bus, two 20-passenger buses and seven 65-passenger diesel buses totaling $1.6 million; Murph described this as the final planned year for diesel purchases in the 12‑year replacement cycle. Proposition 3 would establish — but not immediately fund — a capital reserve allowing the board to place current or future fund balances into a 10‑year reserve capped at $10 million.
At the meeting trustees and administrators discussed project-level questions such as playground design and a potential high-school roof replacement. Murph said detailed cost and implementation plans for those projects were still preliminary and would involve the district architect (Tetra Tech) and the construction manager Glenn Bogart.
The board read the motion to approve the budget “upon recommendation of the superintendent” and moved forward with the consent agenda process; a trustee requested that one consent item (item C) be removed for a separate roll-call vote. The transcript does not include a full roll-call tally for the budget motion in the posted segments.
What happens next: the district scheduled its annual budget hearing for May 7 and the district vote for May 19. Murph directed voters to the district clerk for absentee and early-voting information and listed trustee candidates set to appear on the ballot.
Budget details and clarifications - Proposed 2026–27 budget: $148,369,090 (2.23% increase in expenditures). - Property-tax levy: recommended 0% increase; Murph noted a one-time $1,000,000 reduction returned to the community in the prior year influenced that figure. - Enrollment: approximately 3,886 students; projected decline of 59 students. - Reserve use: several appropriated reserves were identified (capital, ERS, employee benefits, compensated absences); examples and amounts were discussed in the presentation but may change depending on voters’ decisions on propositions.
The board’s next procedural steps are the May 7 budget hearing and the May 19 vote. The transcript indicates the budget was presented and the board moved to adopt it on the superintendent’s recommendation; the record provided does not include a complete public roll-call vote tally in the posted segments.
