Mattituck-Cutchogue adopts $39.67M budget
The Mattituck-Cutchogue school board adopted Superintendent James McKenna’s proposed $39.67 million spending plan Thursday night, which carries an estimated 1.8 percent increase to next year’s tax levy.
The district was able to close a looming $200,000 budget gap while finalizing a budget under the state-mandated allowable tax levy rate — which represents the increased amount the school can collect from property taxes with a simple majority vote — through a combination of delaying a capital improvement project and securing additional state aid from the Legislature.
Mattituck is expected to receive about $2.67 million in total state aid next fiscal year, which represents a 6.36 percent increase.
During the school board’s regular meeting Thursday night, district business administrator Michael Engelhardt said the additional state aid also allows the district to move forward with a $25,000 renovation project for the high school’s computer lab.
Although all current programing is maintained in the 2014-15 spending plan, Mr. Engelhardt said a $40,000 roof project for the Laurel Annex wasn’t put back into the 2014-15 tentative budget.
School board member Doug Cooper — who chairs the school board’s buildings, safety and grounds committee — said the Laurel project has been put off for several years and must be addressed at some point in the near future.
“Its not leaking yet,” he said. “We should get by another year.”
The district is expected to publish the adopted budget on May 6. A public hearing to discuss the tentative spending plan is set for May 13.
