Montpelier School Board begins early budget talks
Toolbox
By Sarah Hinckley Times Argus Staff - Published: December 4, 2008
MONTPELIER – The difference between skating through this school budget season and hitting a couple of bumps – or votes – is $25,000.
Superintendent Steve Metcalf was not ready to put real numbers out to the public during the school board meeting Wednesday night.
In a presentation the preliminary figure of $14.94 million, Metcalf said the budget was $25,000 short of needing two votes from residents, in accordance with recently enacted Act 82.
He showed the board three scenarios of the budget that can have an effect on the local residential tax rate: changes to the school budget, changes to the state residential tax rate, and changes to the common level of appraisal.
Common level of appraisal is the rate at which the state's property is valued. The city's common level of appraisal will continue to drop until a reappraisal is completed.
"If everything (else) stayed the same, that would mean a 3.2 percent – or six cent – increase on the property tax," said Metcalf after reducing the common level of appraisal at the same rate that it fell last year.
A state residential tax rate was to be set by the state tax commissioner ear-lier this week. But the state office balked, and is planning to release that figure at the beginning of 2009 or the next legislative session, Metcalf said.
"We don't know what to expect," said Metcalf about the state set tax rate. "The next decision would be – do we want to increase class sizes?"
Much of the board's discussion of the budget was focused on how to explain the process to the public in the joint meeting scheduled for next week. Members of the City Council and the school board have agreed to host a public meeting to garner feedback in crafting the city and school district's budget. It is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Main Street Middle School.
"I want to listen to the public before we start making the budget," said Metcalf to the board. "I think this is about finding out what the community values are … I really thought we were going to be limited to the two vote."
Contact Sarah Hinckley at sarah.hinckley@timesargus.com.
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