VESTAL, NY (WSKG) - For the second time in two months, voters in the Owego Apalachin School District will decide whether to approve next year’s budget. Polls open Tuesday from noon to 8 P.M. at Apalachin Elementary and Owego Apalachin Middle School.
The first proposed budget, which included a property tax levy increase of 3.83 per cent was voted down last month, 597-479.
The new proposal features a reduction in that increase to 2.83 per cent, which ends up being about $170,000 in cuts.
While that’s a loss for the school, it’s not as bad as it could be if Tuesday’s vote goes against the district. "If it gets voted down again that puts us at a contingency budget," said Superintendent Corey Green. "Which is not good at all."
According to the school, the contingency budget would be a cut of $483,847. That would affect areas such as college courses, athletics, and extracurricular activities.
“Our hope is that we don’t get to that because obviously that would have a significant impact on our school district,” Green said
Green has said misinformation in a local paper led some residents to believe the original budget proposal exceeded the state property tax cap. It did not.
Generally, the tax cap allows schools to raise the property tax levy by two-percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. Though the district says it’s only one part of their formula.