ELLENVILLE – The final tweaks to the Ellenville Central School District budget for 2010-11 were made public this past Tuesday, April 6. Stuart Mattey, the business administrator for the district, spent about an hour going over the numbers, outlining in fairly broad strokes where the district will be spending its resources. Unlike other districts in the ridge area, Mattey said, Ellenville has been able to avoid the dramatic cuts that have dominated the news as of late. He highlighted the fact that Ellenville, due to its robust fund balance, or surplus, has been able to offset a significant increase in school taxes.

And the picture that emerged from the presentation should continue to be encouraging to taxpayers in the district. Mattey said that the overall increase for taxpayers in the district would amount to 2.69 percent, or approximately $1.2 million in revenue. What this would mean to homeowners and businesses that pay taxes within the district, is an increase of $62 per annum per $100,000 of assessed value. For example, in a community with a median home price of $150,000, this would translate to an average increase of approximately $7.75 per month.

There is, however, a possibility that this small increase could be even smaller, if voters were to reject the budget when they go to the polls on May 18. If this were the case, the district could propose another budget, and thereby force another vote; or, it could simply go with what is known as a "contingency" budget. This total is derived from a formula that ties any annual increase to 120-percent of the Consumer Price Index, which is then capped at four-percent of the overall budget. If voters were to reject the proposed, or modified, budget a second time, then the contingency budget would automatically be imposed as a matter of law. The contingency budget for this year would see an increase in overall spending of approximately $526,000, which would translate to a 1.2 percent overall increase in school tax.

Mattey also said that the current fiscal crisis in Albany will likely continue to reverberate throughout the coming fiscal year, but that the district was in fairly good shape due to its capital reserves. Ellenville Central School District Superintendent Lisa Wiles said that current economic conditions illustrate exactly why the district had been maintaining this surplus. Despite this, Wiles said that the district should remain vigilant.

"We're always cautious about using fund balance," Wiles said. "Once it's gone, it's like your rainy-day savings; it's gone. You still have to fund [future budgets] less that amount."

There are several important dates coming up over the next several weeks. In addition to the regular school board meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13, there will be two special school board meetings — one on Tuesday, April 20, at 6 p.m., and the second on Wednesday, April 28, also at 6 p.m. At the first meeting, the school board will formally adopt the budget for 2010-11; the second meeting is being held in order to adopt the budget for BOCES programs. There will also be a budget hearing which is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4. District residents will then vote on the budget on May 18, with the polls opening at 8 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m.