St. Albans Messenger Net Of School Meeting Saturday At 10 am

The Following Is A Net Of The BFA Official Warning That Appeared In The Thursday, February 24, 2005 Edition Of The St. Albans Messenger

FAIRFAX — The Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax (BFA) budget is set at $9.5 million for the 2005-2006 school year. Voters will act on the spending plan and elect school officers in an
Australian ballot vote on Tuesday, March 10.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Residents, however, also will gather on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 10 a.m. in the elementary school gym for the traditional-style March Meeting that includes school officials' reports and annual town business.

Jeff Loller is running for re-election to a two-year term on the school board. Rachel Howard is also seeking another three-year term. Laurie Fisher is seeking election to the remaining year of a two-year term. Fisher was appointed last year by the board to fill a vacancy.

On the Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax Board of Trustees, John Mitchell is seeking re-election to a five-year term. Alfred Daniels is seeking election to the board for the remaining year of a five-year term left open with the death last spring of board member Albert Rich, age 94.

The budget for the K-12 school reflects a $223,934 increase in spending over the current $9.3 million budget.

Under the proposed spending plan, general instruction costs would rise from about $5.1 million this year to $5.5 million next ' year.

Special education programs would cost about $1.4 million, compared to $1.3 million this year.

In separate articles on the school meeting warning, also to be decided by Australian ballot on Tuesday, there are proposed measures to spend $68,000 in surplus funds on a new bus and $80,000 in surplus funds on technology upgrades.

There is also an item asking voters if they wish to put $330,000 in surplus funds toward the building, capital improvement fund to replace the high school roof, upgrade building security, replace windows in the '43 wing and replace the high school gym floor.

With approval of the articles by voters, the remaining $52,865 will be used as a beginning cash balance to reduce taxes for FY 2005.

Fairfax's estimated homestead tax rate for 2006 is $1364. After factoring in the common level of appraisal (CLA), which will drop from about 77 to 72 percent in the town, the tax rate would be at $1.888, if voters adopt the budget as proposed.

The state requires that a municipality's assessed value of a property stay at 80 percent of actual market value, or higher; otherwise the town must conduct a property reappraisal.