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Elmira City School Budget Update

Updated Wednesday, February 06, 2013

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Elmira School leaders are preparing next year's budget, and that means calculating an important piece of revenue, state aid.

February 6, 2013
Elmira (WENY) - Elmira School leaders are preparing next year's budget, and that means calculating an important piece of revenue, state aid. Governor Cuomo's proposed budget is just that, a proposal, making any calculations for Elmira's budget far from certain. The Elmira City School District budget update painted a clear picture of what to expect next year.
      The district was able to re-negotiate utility rates by parenting with other area school districts, and will save nearly 50 percent on electric and natural gas bills during the 2013 -2014 school year. Right now a two percent tax levy increase estimated for a $100,000 home, increase taxes a little more than $40. That two percent brings more than half a million dollars for the district. Superintendent Joe Hochreiter says Governor Cuomo's initial aid package is encouraging, but figures are always changing and the district has to be prepared for less aid then expected. That means the budget projections are accounting for less state aid than Cuomo's proposal.
      “We don't always receive what the state says we're going to receive,” says Hochreiter. “So what we're doing this year is instead of wait for that reduction to happen, which typically happens in large districts, it happens everywhere. but instead of waiting for it to happen we are going to account for it up front.”
     Soon the board is to determine how much the district can raise the property tax cap, with a simple majority vote.