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Total spending comes in at $119,995,101, an increase of 1.90 percent from the current budget.
The tax levy, which represents the total amount of property tax revenue to be collected for the budget, is at $84,101,189, an increase of 0.99 percent. The amount is within the state-mandated 2 percent cap on tax levy hikes.
The tax rates, which measure what people owe per $1,000 of assessed property value, vary by town. Residents in the town of Carmel is projected to an increase of $0.39, bumping the rate up to $40.28 per $1,000 of assessed value. Residents in the town of Putnam Valley are projected to get an increase of $0.25, which leads to a rate of $25.22 per $1,000 of assessed value.
School-district tax rates differ among residents when a district includes more than one municipality due to the use of equalization rates, which are equations that the state uses to reconcile differences in communities' assessed property values in relation to their market values.
At a budget presentation on Thursday, Interim Schools Superintendent Brian Monahan noted there are no program cuts in the budget. Other aspects include maintaining existing class-size ranges, adding an elementary level assistant principal to handle compliance with state-mandated teacher evaluations -- the three elementary schools will share the new position -- and adding a substance-abuse counselor.
Other budget measures include adding elementary intramural activities, replacing equipment such as a scoreboard and a gymnastics rug and adding supplies for high school STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs.
There are four school board candidates running for four seats that are up for election, meaning the races are uncontested. The candidates are Carolann Lacoparra, Daniel Hunter, Roger Bell and former board member Brian Mahoney, who resigned his seat last fall in connection with his interest in the schools superintendent's post that was the subject of a board search.
The school board ultimately selected Dennis Creedon, a Philadelphia schools administrator, as the next superintendent. Creedon is slated to take over on July 1.
The candidates gathered for a small forum following the budget presentation. None of the candidates are currently on the board.
Whoever finishes fourth in the vote total will get Mahoney's former seat, which has about two years left on its term, it was noted. The other three seats have regular three-year terms that begin on July 1.
Voting is scheduled from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., in Mahopac High School.
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