Canon-McMillan School District property owners will pay more in property taxes for the 2009-10 school year.
The school board, by a 5-4 vote Monday night, adopted the budget with an increase of 4.85 mills for a total of 101.85 mills. The average impact of the increase will be $50.49 in Canonsburg, $88.49 in Cecil Township and $107.89 in North Strabane.
The nearly $59.8 million budget is $5.5 million more than this year's budget.
Before the budget adoption, several residents asked the board not to vote for the tax increase, given the state of the economy.
No board members spoke in favor of the budget before the vote, but board member Adam Galambos said an alternative budget could deduct $1.23 million from $1.455 million, which is the entire tax increase amount. After that statement, board member Manuel Pihakis called the question, meaning there had to be an immediate vote on the budget.
It passed by a 5-4 roll call vote, though after the fact there was question about whether the vote was on Pihakis calling the question or the budget vote.
District solicitor Michael Lucas said the board doesn't vote on parliamentary procedures, such as a board member calling the question, so the vote was on the budget.
Board Vice President Kathleen Smith, who led the meeting while board President Jay Romano called in to participate, said she wanted to make sure all board members had a chance to speak about the budget.
Lucas suggested they could speak about the issue while approving the tax rates in the budget. The board voted separately from the budget adoption to enact those rates.
Board member Nick Cianelli said he had the same concerns as 95 percent of the population. He said he was offended that the administration brought the maximum increase to the board and then worked backward.
He said this isn't the only tax increase district property owners and residents face. The state could raise income taxes, he said.
Cianelli asked for an executive session to discuss contract negotiations to talk about what that could mean for the tax rate. That suggestion was defeated by a board vote.
Romano called the increase unconscionable during a worldwide recession. He asked his fellow board members to remember that the tax increase is forever.
No one else spoke about the tax rates.
However, business manager Joni Mansmann said previously that she made the recommendation to help restore the financial health of the district. The district is still whittling away at a shortfall from years of deficit spending, she said in April.
Board members Joseph Zupanic, Debbie Link, Robert Malwitz, Laura Grossman and Pihakis voted for the budget. Cianelli, Smith, Romano and Galambos voted against the budget.