Bedford School Board Wary on Tax Cap Override

Citing public opinion and the fact that they are grappling with the tax levy cap for the first year, Bedford school board members expressed their preference to stay within it.

At their Wednesday meeting, board members felt that going above the cap, which requires approval from 60 percent of voters in the May budget vote, would be hard to do politically. This is not only because it's the first school year since the state legislature adopted the cap - it passed in June - but also because results from a recent survey and public feedback indicated that residents want to see the district stay within it.

Board member Graham Anderson emphasized that a use of reserves and cuts should be done.

“It’s as raining as it’s ever going to be," he said about reserves as a rainy day fund.

Superintendent Jere Hochman told the board that the maximum allowable tax levy increase is projected to be 2.59 percent. This is at the tax cap, which calls for the lesser of two percent or inflation, because it factors in exemptions such as growth in the taxable base of property. In order to stay within the cap, the district would have to cut $3.75 million, based on early estimates. Exact proposed figures will not be allowable until the later part of winter, when Hochman will present the proposed 2012-13 budget to the board.

“It seems to me we’re all pretty much on the same page," said school board President Susan Elion Wollin, who noted the politics of asking voters for an override. She also noted the difficulty in just getting a 2.59-percent increase approved.

There was willingness from some members, however, to request an override to the cap if the cuts are severe in what gets impacted.

“I’m not willing to rule out something north of 2 percent until I know the details behind that," said board member Erika Long.

The tax levy, which is a different figure, is the total amount of taxes that the district would collect for its budget.

On another note, Hochman gave an early idea of how the tax rate, which is the number per $1,000 of assessed property value that residents pay, could fare next year. Because of the , only Bedford is expected to see an increase. It will be in the single digits, while the other towns (Mount Kisco, Pound Ridge, New Castle and North Castle) could be decreases. The equalization rate is a forumla used to apportion each town's share of taxes due to the fact that the towns assess at different percentages of their properties' market value.

Editor's note: this story originally stated 2.59 percent was above the tax cap. That level of increase comes in at the state-mandated cap. We have corrected the copy and regret the error.