Christina Ingram urges board to reconsider tax hike, cites budget-reporting anomalies

Christina Ingram, who identified herself as an alumna of Northern Lebanon, used the meeting's public-comment period to urge the board to reconsider its decision to increase real-estate taxes to Pennsylvania's statutory maximum. She said she was not categorically opposed to additional revenue but objected to what she called "excessive increases driven by poor financial management and spending choices."

Ingram said residents would be less upset if the board selected a smaller increase or offered clearer justification for ongoing renovation projects. She called on board members to "ask more financial questions, ask for more documentation, and discuss the necessity of items or cost-effective alternatives."

She identified specific items she said were inconsistent in the March budget-revenue summary: lines she cited showed zero budgets but nonzero receipts, cases where year-to-date percentages appeared artificially set at 100%, and examples where reported percentages contradicted the numeric receipts. She named several line numbers in her remarks and said one line (7531) should show receipts "over 367%" based on her calculations. She asked the board to provide clearer reports and accountability rather than shifting the burden to taxpayers.

The public-comment period record does not show a formal response from the board to Ingram's technical claims during the meeting. Administrators later discussed broader budget and auditor topics under consent items but did not resolve the specific line-item questions Ingram raised during the committee meeting. The board did keep multiple financial items on the consent agenda for later approval and scheduled further review on budget-related presentations in May.