Lyndonville will do school budget revote on June 16

LYNDONVILLE – The school district is doing a budget revote on June 16, and the budget is the same as the one that was rejected on May 19 with 172 opposed and 129 votes in favor.

The Lyndonville Board of Education has held two budget meetings since the vote and the board opted to keep the budget unchanged in the revote.

The budget with a 2.5 percent tax increase is already below the district’s allowable tax cap of 4.0 percent.

The $19,194,000 budget would increase spending by 9.8 percent or by $1,719,670  from the $17,474,330 in 2025-26. The tax levy would increase from $4,758,692 to $4,877,659.

The spending increase is largely driven by a capital project with state aid covering most of the expense.

The budget is voted down again Lyndonville would have to adopt a contingency budget would mean reducing spending by another $266,495 to get the budget to $18,927,505.

Dr. Heather Lyon, the district superintendent, in a message to the community acknowledged community feedback, including residents who raised concerns about rising taxes and cost of living.

Lyon said the district considered further lowering the levy and using more reserves to lower the property tax.

“After reviewing multiple options, the Board determined that the original proposal best balances: support for students, the district’s future financial health, and limiting the impact on taxpayers as much as possible,” she wrote to the community.

If the budget is voted down, Lyndonville would have to go to a contingency budget, which Lyon said would put significant restrictions on spending and future planning.

Those reductions could affect student programs, athletics, music, extracurricular opportunities, equipment replacement, and other student services, she said.

“These consequences are set by New York State law and would not be a local Board decision,” Lyon said.

For more on the budget, click here.