ROTTERDAM Group fighting for low school taxes Woman organizing effort to reduce levy for 2009-10 BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Lisa Mell wants to see the Mohonasen Central School District’s tax levy go down for a change. Like many Rotterdam residents, the financial manager with the county Health Department hasn’t been pleased by the upward progression of her school taxes. So this year, she decided to do something about it. Mell is organizing a grassroots effort calling on the district to reduce spending in the 2009-10 budget so that residents won’t have to pay any additional school taxes. Her still-unnamed group had its inaugural meeting Monday and delivered its message at the Rotterdam Senior Citizens Association Tuesday, less than a week before the Board of Education is expected to adopt the budget proposal. Board members are expected to vote on the $42.3 million proposal during their meeting Monday evening. And Mell plans to be on hand with others to demand that they keep cutting. “Don’t adopt this budget,” she said, reiterating the group’s message. “Go back to the drawing board and come up with something that reduces taxes.” Overall, the budget proposal increases spending by about 1 percent. Superintendent Kathleen Spring said the increase will translate to a tax levy increase of less than 0.8 percent, which is the lowest the district has seen in more than a decade. “This is the lowest tax levy increase that has been proposed in this district in at least 15 years and maybe even longer,” Spring said Wednesday. But Mell considers this misleading because it doesn’t take into consideration the elimination of the middle class STAR rebate program in the recently adopted state budget. She said property owners accustomed to getting the rebates will end up paying the same taxes they would if the levy went up by double digits. District homeowners earning a combined income of between $90,000 and $150,000 were entitled to a STAR rebate of about $285 in 2008, according to figures provided by the state Department of Taxation and Finance. Mell fears that many residents won’t realize the program has ended until it’s too late. “This budget is not a responsible budget to pass right now,” she said. Spring disagrees with this contention. She said that the district produced a lean budget during an extremely tough fi s- cal year. “We don’t have any control over [the STAR rebate],” she said. The district’s spending plan would cut the equivalent of three full-time positions. It also falls $1.1 million beneath the spending cap of a contingency budget; the district would only need to cut $78,727 if the proposal fails with voters. Mell is aware that her group may not be able to bring about change this year, but she’s hoping to lay the foundation to apply future pressure on the board to find cost savings, especially through the consolidation of services and reduction in administrative costs. Moreover, she may take her effort to the polls. Mell is among seven residents who have picked........http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01304
people I know who are in the know say that the change last night with Mr Andreoli will mean we have the fields and garage lined all up for the taking. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN THANK YOU AND GO AWAY NOW YOU TROUBLEMAKERS
people I know who are in the know say that the change last night with Mr Andreoli will mean we have the fields and garage lined all up for the taking. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN THANK YOU AND GO AWAY NOW YOU TROUBLEMAKERS
Maybe Schalmont residents need to get in touch with Ms. Mell and find out what she plans on doing this coming year. We're going to need to fight tough next year.
Oh contre' there GB the resident closet "gay" paree. I state facts. Everyone wants less taxes but the fact remains that Tommy Gun Buchanan's vieled attempt to run his hand picked candidates (alla Mike Della Villa) for the Mohon school board once again failed miserably. Tommy Gun is running out of ammo and we the people expect him to stay out of the Mohon School Bd races with his hyperbole on Dem vs Rep. No one wants high taxes except your tax and spend Supervisor and his side kick Della Villa who never met a tax hike they didn't like. Pad the budget for there gumbas and computer contracts and let they others eat cake Gay Paree Bonnett
They are ALL tax and spend! There are patronage lob jobs everywhere, from the federal level all the way down. And if ya think they aren't....look again! Dems/Reps/Cons! However, I do agree that Buchannan has over stayed his welcome.
As far as keeping politics out of the school board races...we could only wish that were possible. Government is slipping itself in every single aspect of our lives. AND WE LET IT!
Small minds with small pictures.....there is a future on the horizon and we are at full speed to hit it or fall right over it.......do we know where we are going,,,,,,never mind the party crap....that's just smoke......I say shot 'em in the knee caps so their power hunger will drain away and then they will be effective.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
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