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Tentative Tax Rate Increase 3.97 Percent for Garrison School District
District again returns $100,000 to taxpayers
by Margaret Sternberg
The phrase "good news" isn't often associated with school taxes, but first Haldane, and now Garrison have announced prospective school tax rate increases of under 4 percent. Superintendent Gloria Colucci announced a probable 3.97 percent school tax rate increase at the March 26, 2008 meeting of the Garrison Board of Education.
Although Superintendent Colucci stressed that the figure is preliminary, the final number will be presented and adopted at the next school board meeting. The 3.97 percent figure includes $100,000 that the district is contributing from its General Fund balance toward the total 2008-9 projected budget, which increases 4.99 percent from the 2007-8 actual budget.
A 3.97 percent increase would mean tax rates would rise $0.69 for Philipstown residents, going from $17.28661 per thousand to $17.972192 per thousand. For Putnam Valley residents, the tax rate goes from $7.47646 per thousand to $7.772973 per thousand, a $0.30 change that is reflective of Putnam Valley's full valuation.
The tax levy itself rises 5.24 percent, going from $7,334,140 in 2007-8 to $7,718,627, an increase of $384,487.
Board member Carol McCullough, who gave the more detailed presentation on the 2008-9 budget, said that the district had made adjustments for the rising costs of all types of fuel as well as for the decreased amount of revenue expected from investments as a result of falling interest rates. Although salary negotiations have not been settled, the Budget Advisory Committee estimated what the salary increase would be and the tax increase reflects that number.
Dovetailing on the budget announcements, it was announced that the district had interviewed several firms for the position of outside auditor. Because of their size and commensurate ability to service the district plus their accessibility as well as their breadth of experience, the district proposed, and later approved, to hire the accounting firm O'Connor Davies Munns & Dobbins, LLP, Bennett Kielson Storch DeSantis Division, which is the accounting firm the district has used in the past.
An impromptu discussion on requirements set forth by the Government Accounting Standards Board revealed that the district will be required to set aside monies to fund retirement and health care costs for retirees. This year the district will set aside $120,000, with it being likely the same amount will be set aside next year. The discussion raised the possibility of the district needing to hire an actuary on an annual basis in order to develop projections of the district's future retirement liabilities.
In the first news in several weeks concerning St. Basil Academy, Superintendent Colucci announced that the Academy had made the second of three $50,000 payments to the district in accordance with a litigation settlement. The final payment is due in September. Litigation with New York City over tuition payments for two students who attended Garrison in 2003-4 is expected to be delayed because of a request for postponement by New York's attorneys that is expected to be granted.
Following discussion at the last Board meeting concerning antiquated equipment, the Board approved the planned upgrade of 25 computers and two servers at a total estimated cost of $69,851. The new computers will be placed in the lab, and the computers currently in the lab will go into the classrooms.
The next meeting of the Garrison Board of Education will be Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at 7:30pm.
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