School budgets, propositions and BOE candidates on ballot today
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Oak Orchard Elementary School is part of Medina Central School.
Residents in Orleans County will go to the polls today to vote on school budgets, propositions and candidates for the Board of Education.
Eligible voters must be at least 18 and a legal resident of the district for at least 30 days prior to today’s vote.
• ALBION – The vote is from noon to 8 p.m. in the Elementary School, Conference Room A. The school district won’t be increasing taxes in the 2019-20 school year. The district is proposing to collect $8,449,094 in property taxes, the same as in 2018-19. This is now the 11th time in the past 13 years the school district has either kept taxes flat or reduced them.
The $35,555,151 budget increases spending less than 1 percent (0.94 percent) or by $329,885.
Other propositions on the ballot include:
• Authorization to spend $505,000 from the School Bus Purchase Reserve Fund to buy school buses during the 2020-21 school year.
• Authorization to collect $714,920 for Hoag Library, which is the same amount as 2018-19.
• Two seats with five-year terms are up for election. They are currently filled by David Sidari and Wendy Kirby. Sidari is seeking re-election. Other candidates include Joyce Riley, Gregg Boose Sr. and Linda Weller. Riley and Weller have previously served on the Board of Education.
• HOLLEY – Voting is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the high school foyer. The school district is proposing a $25,780,000 budget for 2019-20 that increases spending by 2.2 percent or $570,000.
The budget would increase taxes by 2.5 percent or $177,704, from $7,108,141 to $7,285,845.
Other propositions on the ballot include:
• Authorization to spend up to $178,000 for a large (72 seat) school bus and a small (30 seat) bus.
• Authorization to collect $170,197 for the Community Free Library.
• Election of Board of Education members. The seats for John Heise and current president Brenda Swanger are up for election. Swanger isn’t seeking re-election. Heise has submitted petitions to run again for a three-year term. He was the only candidate to step forward.
The other position will likely be decided by write-in votes.
• KENDALL – Voting is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will be at the Kendall Town Hall, 1873 Kendall Rd. The district moved the polling place from the school to the Town Hall for student safety.
Kendall school budget would increase taxes 2.2%
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.
In addition to the budget, the ballot 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.
• LYNDONVILLE – Voting is from noon to 8 p.m. at the Stroyan Auditorium Foyer.
The school district is presenting a $14,171,700 budget that increases spending by $165,000 or 1.2 percent. The tax levy would increase by 1 percent.
Other propositions in the budget include:
• Transportation purchases, not to exceed $260,000. That includes one new 64-seat passenger bus, not to exceed $125,000 (which will replace a 2007 bus with 137,000 miles); two new passenger vans, not to exceed $46,000 each (replacing one from 2010 with 167,000 miles and one from 2014 with 150,000 miles); a new vehicle with room for four or five people to transport staff and students, at a cost not to exceed $43,000.
• Allowing one student to serve as ex-officio, not-voting member of the Board of Education.
• $103,750 for Yates Community Library, up from $2,832 or 2.8 percent which is within the library’s allowable tax cap.
• Three people – incumbent Harold Suhr, Vern Fonda and Kristin Nicholson– are running for three open seats. Terry Stinson and Rick Mufford, current board members, aren’t seeking re-election to three-year terms.
• MEDINA – Voting is from noon to 8 p.m. at the board room of the district office, next to the high school.
The district is presenting a $40,284,425 budget for the 2019-20 school year which won’t increase taxes. The overall spending is up about $2.7 million from the $37,565,842, with a capital project driving some of the increase.
The tax levy will remain the same at $8,641,861. This is the eighth consecutive year Medina has either reduced taxes or held them in check, and the 11th out of the past 12 years.
• There are four people running for three open seats, including incumbents Wendi Pencille and Lori Draper. Kellie Schrader-Hurrell and Mary Eileen Hare are also running. Brenda Lindsay isn’t seeking re-election. The candidates with the two highest number of votes will receive a three-year term and the candidate with the third most votes will receive a two-year term.
