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Monessen School Board approves tentative budget with tax increase

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Monessen School Board voted to approve a tentative general fund budget with a tax increase at a special meeting Tuesday. The board voted 6-1 to approve the proposed general fund budget for the 2017-2018 school year, detailing expenditures of $15,891,144, up from last year’s total of $14,983,315.

President Donna Fantuzzi, Vice President Roberta Bergstedt and board members Sharon Mauck, Cheryl Galilei, Lee Johnson and Randall Marino voted yes. Cindy Pawelec voted no. Board members Kimberly Egidi and Maria Scuteri were not present.

Pawelec said she voted no because the budget is not where she would like it to be and there is still too much work to be done. “We’re going to continue to work on it,” Pawelec said.

Business manager Jeff Festor said the proposed budget contains a millage rate of 80.41 mills, an eight-mill increase from last year’s rate of 72.41 mills. The average homeowner in the district, with a house assessed at $15,000, could expect to pay an additional $120 in taxes, for a total of $1,206.

“The main increase in the budget is the debt payment,” Festor said. At the last board meeting May 9, Festor said an increase in the district’s payment to the state pension system and an increase in salaries also are factors in the budget increase.

He said the payment on the bond, which was last refinanced in 2014, was roughly $150,000 this year and will increase by about $725,000 for the 2017-2018 school year. He said the payment is rising sharply now because of how the payment plan was originally structured.

The budget is now available for public inspection in the superintendent’s office. The board will vote on adopting the budget June 27.

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