WAUPUN—With a budget almost $3,000 less than the one presented at the annual meeting Sept. 28, the Waupun Area School Board approved the $23,270,823 budget at Monday’s meeting. Expected revenues, including the $63,992 remaining in the year-end balance, total $23,524,486, allowing $253,663 more revenue than expenditures for the 2009-10 budget.
At the meeting, business administrator Bill Zeininger explained that three changes in the last month have produced the difference in figures:
■ An additional $250,711 in revenues and expenditures from the state and federal grant programs are expected
■ Open enrollment expense will be decreased by $200,000
■ Special education contract with CESA No. 6 expected to decreased by $60,000
“Budget-wise, things are shaping up really well,” Zeininger said. “We were really worried with all of the open enrollment applications we received back in February. It turned out that we can decrease that budget line item significantly.”
Tax levy
Zeininger said the taxes could be lowered this year, but it would significantly affect the revenue limit for following years.
“If we tax what we need this year, which would be a good thing for tax payers, when we go to the next year in the revenue limit formula, if you don’t tax to the maximum amount allowed, you suffer that much on the next years.”
The way the figures came out with third Friday enrollment and variables that change state-wide, the revenue limit could be $49,029 higher than what Zeininger figured for the annual meeting.
If the district doesn’t increase the tax levy, they will lose $312,000 from the revenue limit.
“It’s a concern Randy [Refsland, district administrator] and I have because next year’s budget might look even tougher,” Zeininger said. “The state of Wisconsin is in bad shape and I think it’s going to take longer than just this year to turn things around.”
School board member Angie Hodge asked if the board could pick a number in the middle, raising the tax levy somewhat, but not the maximum.
“We’d be doing something good for everybody by lowering the tax levy this year, but then we’re penalized in the next year,” Zeininger said.
“This isn’t just a one-year hit on the revenue limit, it would be the next years,” Refsland said. “There’s been a lot of talk but no action at the state level to change this thing.”
The board approved the tax levy of $9,088,271. The tax rate of 9.1986 breaks down to $919.86 on a $100,000 home.
“With economics the way they are, I have real sympathy for the tax payers,” Lori Lemmenes, school board president, said. “We also need to look to the future.”