Jan 19, 2017 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – Central Greene school board approved a preliminary budget for the 2017-18 school year, providing it with an option to raise taxes above the inflationary index.

During a Tuesday meeting, the board decided on an estimated $34.5 million in expenditures for next year and $33.2 million in revenues, which is based on a property tax millage increased from last year by 0.8492, bringing the total millage for the district to 28.2421. That tax increase is within the inflation index of 3.1 percent of the total millage.

The approval of a preliminary budget allows the district to ask the state to raise taxes above the 3.1 percent index through certain exceptions provided in Act 1 of 2006. The board has until the end of February to make that request.

Superintendent Brian Uplinger and business manager Jim Shargots said in an interview Thursday that they are not sure if the district will need to make that request for additional taxes. If the district does, the additional money would be used for special education or pension contributions, they said.

“We never get enough money to subsidize our special education,” Shargots said. “And our retirement (contribution) has gone up to an anticipated $200,000 increased cost for 2017-18.”

Uplinger said the taxpayers could “probably expect” a tax increase.

“The board has to weigh all the options and determine which way we’re going to go,” he said.

The board raised taxes by 1.2885 mills last year, when it was unclear whether the district would receive any of the $3.4 million in property taxes owed by Alpha Natural Resources, which declared bankruptcy in 2015.

Uplinger said the district has since received 2016-17 taxes from Alpha and expects to receive the 2015-16 taxes from the company this year.