Tax increase in West Middlesex school budget
Jul. 2—WEST MIDDLESEX — The West Middlesex Area School District's 2024-25 budget will include a real estate tax increase for local property owners.
The budget, which calls for total expenditures of $17,829,611, was unanimously approved at the school board's June 24 meeting by the members present.
Board members Karsyn Rupert, Ashley Rupert and Ashley Buzard were absent.
The budget calls for a 2.5 mill property tax increase. For the average property owner in the district, they will see an increase of about $49.63 per year, West Middlesex schools Business Manager Mary Sternthal said.
The school district's property taxes prior to the increase were set at 73.1158 mills, and cost the average property owner about $1,450 per year.
Following the vote, school board President Dr. Andrew Erb said voting to raise taxes was "never easy" and that he understands how difficult raising taxes can be for the district's residents, including retired seniors on fixed incomes.
"Nobody wants to do it," Erb said of the increase. "We all have to pay these too, but we have to fund the school."
Erb added that the school district went about nine years without a tax increase, and that the district was still feeling the financial effects of that lapse in tax increases.
Sternthal said many of the challenges faced by district officials this year were the same as with previous budgets, particularly the combination of fixed district expenses and uncertainty from the state.
Whereas the state budget is still being determined, school districts across Pennsylvania must have their budgets in place by June 30, leaving district officials to estimate how much state funding they will receive.
"There were years when the amount we received was way under what was proposed, and there were years when it was way above, so most districts tend to go with last year's numbers," Sternthal said.
Some of the major projects for the district this year include improvements at the district's track and parking lot, as well as planned improvements at the baseball field.
These projects will be completed using capital reserve money approved during the 2023-24 budget, and will not affect this latest budget, Sternthal said.
Among those in the audience at the meeting was West Middlesex Borough Council member William Novak, who asked why the school board didn't think a tax increase would be necessary back in April, and yet, ultimately raised taxes.
Superintendent Raymond Omer responded that the exact budget figures had become clearer as time progressed, and that 90 percent of the school district's budget is fixed by contractual obligations, including healthcare and retirement benefits.
"Just like any household, if we depleted our fund balance, then that would leave the district in a vulnerable position," Omer said. "We needed to leave enough in our reserves to deal with any unexpected costs that might come up."
Erb added that choosing not to raise taxes can also be a "double-edged sword," since state officials look at the local contribution when determining a district's funding.
"If we have a stretch where we're not raising taxes, then they may look at us and decide, 'they don't need state funds because they apparently don't need local funds,'" Erb said.
