Tax increase on new assessments would be under 2%

by James Shearwood

At a special Saturday meeting of the Putnam Valley Board of Education, Schools Superintendent Gary Tutty, and the other administrators, presented a proposed budget for 2004-05 that totals $34,381,274.

Although in large part it is a budget that continues existing programs, the total is an 8.17% increase over this year’s budget of $31,784,826.

Saying it was a "difficult budget year" – for at least the second year in a row, Tutty pointed out that the big increases were in mandatory payments to retirement costs, social security, unemployment and health insurance and workers compensation.

The only big item that went down was in debt service. The district will pay $117,041 less next year to pay off its construction loans.

The requested staff increases were to restore a psychologist at the elementary school, to add a part-time physical education teacher at the middle school and high school and to add an English teacher, a math teacher and part-time social studies and art teachers at the high school.

Principal Jamie Edelman requested two additional lunch monitors for the elementary school.

Director of Operations Nicholas Bellantoni requested an additional bus driver and an additional custodian for the high school. It was expected that the additional staff would cut down on the expense of overtime.

After the bare-bones budget was presented, parents at the meeting and members of the Board asked about including an additional guidance counselor at the middle school, a librarian at the elementary school and an additional first grade teacher.

Superintendent Tutty said because of the reassessment, which will affect homeowners differently, he wanted to keep the increase in the tax levy under 2%.

The proposed budget projects an increase of 1.89% in the tax levy.

Homeowners who have recently received a reassessment notice could predict their increase by adding 1.89% to what their taxes would have been last year under the new assessment.

A brief survey after Saturday’s meeting found some homeowner’s taxes had gone down, but most had gone up.

One resident reported her assessment had doubled, but her taxes had gone down $30.

Assistant Superintendent for Finance Paul Lee said one reason the levy could be held to under 2% is that new construction had added 216 parcels to the tax rolls.

Aware that many taxpayers will be angry, or confused, by the new assessments, Superintendent Tutty plans to speak to as many community groups between now and the budget vote on May 18 as possible.

Although in the past few years the difference between the contingency budget and the proposed budget in Putnam Valley has not been significant, this year if the budget is defeated, cuts of $1,811,893 would be required.

Pointing out what that would mean, Tutty reported that the interscholastic athletics budget is $617,327, the co-curricular budget is $102,437 and other options such as enlarging class size and reducing electives would have to be considered.

Board Member Pat Bellino read a letter from high school coach and math teacher Bobby Baker, and signed by 25 others, asking that the position of athletic director be returned to full-time.

The current athletic director, Linda Winchell, teaches in the morning and directs the program in the afternoon. The position had been full-time until director Bill Conroy retired last year.

Although state aid is 15.8% of the proposed budget, the figure is $270,000 less than last year.

Board Member Guy Cohen pointed out that financing so much of education by means of a property tax is "regressive."

The Board intends to continue discussion of the proposed budget on March 25 and April 15.

It will adopt a budget on April 20 to present to the community on May 18.