Deborah Kaufman signs in at the polls for the Little Falls City School District 2021/2022 budget vote.
by Dave Warner
The Little Falls City School District 2021-2022 School Budget vote was held Tuesday night at the Middle School and all three propositions passed, as well as the re-election of two school board commissioners, Joseph Finks and Frank Mendl. There were no write-in votes tallied for the positions.
Dr. Keith T. Levatino, Superintendent of Schools stated, “We couldn’t be more excited. A huge thank you to our educational community. Our budget passed with 84% approval and that tells me that we have a community that is all about the kids and the educational system and we thank everyone.”
Proposition One – School Budget Vote – Passed with 165 votes for and 30 against
RESOLVED that the budget for the Little Falls City School District in the County of Herkimer in the State of New York, for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022, as presented by the Board of Education, is hereby approved and adopted; and the required funds, therefore, are hereby apportioned and the necessary real property taxes required shall be raised by a tax on the taxable property in said District to be levied and collected by law.
The tax percentage increase is 0.97%, going from $8,959,487.00 to $9,046,364.00, which is a change of $86,877.00.
The sharp increase in the debt service area is due to payments for the capital project in the amount of $2,295,026.00, with anticipated building aid in the amount of $2,178,529. This leaves a local share of about $116,496. According to the District, this explains the sharp increase in the expenditure, but only a small increase in taxes.
Proposition Two – Bus Purchase – Passed with 160 votes for and 34 against
Shall the Little Falls City School District purchase a new 65 passenger school bus for use by the District for the sum not to exceed $135,220.00 to be paid for by the District through the issuance of a five (5) year Statutory Installment Bond, pursuant to the provisions of the Education Law of the State of New York?
Proposition Three – Library – Passed with 161 votes for and 33 against
Shall the Little Falls City Public Library be authorized to increase its Real Property Tax Levy from $90,890 to $92,008?