Byron-Bergen sets date for budget revote

At a special meeting held on Friday, June 2, the Byron-Bergen Board of Education unanimously adopted two propositions regarding the district's 2006-2007 school budget. Proposition #1 is for the adoption of an expenditure budget not to exceed $17,551,554. Proposition #2 presents the voters with the choice of approving expenditures not to exceed $109,155 for various types of school district equipment, materials and supplies and contractual items pertaining to the operations and maintenance department.

Also included in Proposition #1 is additional revenue of $78,204.95. This revenue results from interest earned on district monies and was not available when the original budget proposition was developed. With this enhanced revenue, if the two propositions are adopted, the tax levy increase for district residents will be approximately 1.83 percent.

This action is the result of the defeat by five votes of the district's original school budget proposition on May 16. District residents will vote on the two propsitions on June 20 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the high school's fitness wrestling room. If Proposition #1 consisting of $17.55 million is defeated, the district is required by law to adopt a contingency budget containing $529,113 in cuts.

Also at this meeting, the board of education, taking into consideration the comments and concerns from the public about the merger of the middle and high school libraries, decided to continue the operation of the two libraries, in their current configuration and space.

June 11, 2006