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0050304 Mt. Kisco to bear greatest Bedford Central School District tax hike
BY ABBY LUBY
The bottom line for the proposed Bedford Central 2004-05 school budget was set at $87.6 million, with $79,073,514 to be raised through local taxes. The` amount of tax increase depends upon which of the school district's five towns you live in. The public vote on the budget proposal is May 18. ,
Mount Kisco and North Castle resident face the steepest tax hikes.
Mark Betz, assistant schools superintendent for business, said that the proposed tax levy in those towns is so high because of recent increases in property value. "Mount Kisco's full value for property grew - according to the state - and it became more valuable in the total percentage of the district property," he said. "That creates a greater percentage that they are going to have to absorb of the levy, compared to another town."
Betz said that homeowners in Mount Kisco, for example, can calculate the estimated additional tax by multiplying every $1,000 in assessed property value by $8.80. "If a Mount Kisco property is worth $60,000, the yearly tax increase for the school district would be $528," he said.
Because of the property value factor, every town contributes a different size slice of the school budget pie, Betz said.
Bedford will pay $37,025,813; Mount Kisco, $14,271,516, Pound Ridge, $23,050,355; New Castle, $3,117,813; and North. Castle, $1,608,018. Although the estimated tax impacts vary greatly, they have balanced out over the last decade, according to Mr. Betz.
Including the proposed budget, the average increases over the last 10 years have been 5.37 percent in Mount Kisco, 2.72 percent in Pound Ridge, 13.05 percent in New Castle and 2.96 percent in North Castle.
Proposition 1 will ask voters to approve a total budget of $87.6 million on the May 18 ballot. Of this, $79.12 million is to be generated by tax levies in the district's five municipalities: Bedford, Mount Kisco, Pound Ridge, New Castle and North Castle. The remainder of the $87.6 million budget total will come from state aid, tuition, county sales tax, interest earnings and rental fees for school grounds and buildings. Proposition 2 on the ballot authorizes the assignment of $1.78 million from a surplus fund.
If Proposition 2 is approved, the district plans to purchase furniture and equipment for Pound Ridge and Mount Kisco elementary schools and Fox Lane High School - part of extensive renovations to those schools. Additional funds would pay for high priority capital projects in all seven of the district's schools.
A sum of $330,000 would fund projects that originally were to have been funded by sale of the district owned Gregory Avenue property, while $881,450 would pay for artificial turf on playing fields on the Fox Lane campus. The propositions stand alone, and require separate votes of approval in order to be implemented.
Proposition 1 will ask voters to approve a total budget of $87.6 million on the May 18 ballot.