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Voters approve Millbrook CSD budget in 391-221 vote

Voters approve Millbrook CSD budget in 391-221 vote
Administrators balanced Millbrook Central School District’s budget with staffing and program cuts after insufficient revenue and ballooning health insurance costs caused a deficit of about $1 million.
Photo By Graham Corrigan

MILLBROOK — Millbrook Central School District had its proposed budget ratified Tuesday, May 19.

Residents voted 391-221 in favor of the $37,992,751 plan. It’s a year-over-year increase of 6.57%, and the tax levy will rise at a rate of 7.02%.

Millbrook’s budget does not exceed the allowed state tax rate — meaning the budget needed a simple majority to pass. While some program and staffing cuts are included, the district was able to avoid a contingency budget and the additional $1.5 million in cuts it would have necessitated.

The district is faced with rising insurance and transportation costs, and is still waiting on state aid from the to-be-determined New York budget. Governor Kathy Hochul announced a broad agreement on key priorities earlier this month, but state legislators filed for their twelfth budget extension last week.

The next year at Millbrook will include a number of capital projects aimed at repairing the school’s aging buildings. Leaks and roof damage have been a persistent problem at the school’s buildings, and a capital project fund transfer is set to address the damage.

Further down the ballot, Howard Shapiro and Chris Rosenbergen were both reelected to their Board of Education seats.

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