Norwin School Board approved a $53.7 million 2007-08 budget Monday night, but not all the members were pleased with a 1.1-mill increase in the real estate tax.
Director Dennis Rittenhouse voiced his opposition to raising taxes for six of the past seven years last week and punctuated his stance by voting against the spending plan last night.
"My mind was made up last week. (Business manager) John Wilson did a good job of getting the spending down, but I think we could have had no tax increase," he said.
Director Don Rhodes echoed Rittenhouse's sentiments and also voted against the budget.
"If we have an alternative to not raising taxes, we should take it," Rhodes said.
The district's surplus is about $2.5 million, which is at the state's recommended 5 percent of the budget. School districts can maintain a maximum of 8 percent in their budget surplus, Rhodes said.
In May, directors approved a tentative $53,743,000 spending plan with a 1.5-mill increase in real estate taxes, so the final version of the budget was pared down.
One mill generates about $351,000 in revenue for the district.
The increase means the average Norwin property owner will see about a $29 increase in property taxes.
Last week, Wilson said too many uncertainties make digging into the surplus a potentially dangerous move. The district will be shouldering a $16 million price tag for the construction of the new Stewartsville Elementary School, coming off the heels of the new $14 million Hahntown Elementary School slated to open in the fall.
In addition to a growing debt service, the district also must contended with a $39,785 increase in insurance costs.
Director Kate Zingarelli reiterated her anger at the state's refusal to fund mandates, such as cyber school costs, which also inflate the district's budget.
In other business, Superintendent Jack Boylan told a representative of a gas drilling company he would like to do more visual research before he commits to drilling on district property.
"There is interest, but I'm visual. I'd like to do a field trip to see some wells," he told Brett Morgan, of Kriebel Minerals of Clarion.
Morgan said there are six drilling company competitors interested in the 10-12-mile gas vein, which runs through district property. He said the district's wells would be feeding off this same vein that already has been tapped in other locations.
Boylan said he was not in a hurry to jump into a contract without doing research.,
Larger text
Smaller text
Print this article
E-mail this article
