Kendall school budget would increase taxes 2.2%
KENDALL – The school district is proposing a $17,774,362 budget for the 2019-20 school year that increases spending by 2.34 percent, with the tax levy going up by 2.2 percent.
The budget will be voted on by district residents from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 21. The vote will be at the Kendall Town Hall, 1873 Kendall Rd. The district said it moved the polling place from the school to the Town Hall for student safety. Eligible voters must be at least 18 and a legal resident of the district for at least 30 days prior to May 21.
Overall spending is up $406,885 with rising health insurance premiums, utilities and fuel among the causes, as well as the impact of the higher minimum wage in many district departments, said Julie Christensen, the district superintendent. State aid for the district is $12,480,840, which covers 70.2 percent of the budget.
The tax levy will go from $4,715,842 to $4,819,591. That $103,749 increase or 2.2 percent remains below the district’s allowed tax cap, which is 3.81 percent due to carryover from prior years when Kendall was below the cap, as well as other exclusions, Christensen said in a budget message to district residents.
Kendall’s projected tax rate will be $17.02 per $1,000 of assessed property, which compares to a Monroe County average of $23.90, the district stated in its newsletter.
Kendall will have a public hearing on the budget at 6:30 p.m. on May 6 in the library at the Junior-Senior High School.
In addition to the budget, the May 21 vote includes:
• Proposition 2: Transportation bus reserve fund to allow district to spend up to $250,000 for transportation vehicles
• Proposition 3: To elect a member to a five-year term on the Board of Election. Chaley Swift is unopposed.
