WVSD voters approve $90+ million budget, buses, reserves

By Abby Wolf
WARWICK — By a comfortable margin – 1,289 to 519 (71.3 percent) by preliminary counts – Warwick Valley School District voters approved the $90.1 million school budget for 2017-18.
The budget reflects a slight increase – 2.17 percent, compared with the current year’s budget, with a 1.8 percent tax levy increase that stays below New York State’s mandatory cap.
Reserve fundsThe ballot also contained three propositions:
Proposition: Buy five buses for $510,000 (60 percent covered with state aid):
Initial counts show that the proposition for new buses passed 1,080 to 716 (60.1 percent).
Proposition: Establish a reserve fund for school bus purchases The fund would accumulate a maximum of $2 million during a 10-year period.
By nearly a similar vote for the bus purchase - 1,061 to 726, voters approved a bus reserve fund (59.4 percent).
Proposition: Establish reserve fund for building improvement? The capital reserve fund would have a maximum contribution of $5 million over 10 years.
Residents also approved establishing a capital reserve fund by a vote of 1,205 to 582 (67.4 percent).
The district expects to certify final totals by the end of the week.
School board resultsIncumbents Robert Howe and Dory Masefield were re-elected to their seats, at 832 and 765 votes respectively.
Newcomer John Garcia received 819 votes.
Here’s how the other candidates fared:
Erin Maxcy (the third incumbent): 739 votes
Neil Sinclair: 568
Greg D’Ambrosio: 412
Lisa Kevins: 338
John Ihnachak: 271
According to board member Keith Parsons, voter turnout was higher this year than last year, by 246.
Next:Work session: May 22, 7 p.m., Dorothy C. Wilson Education Center
Regular meeting: June 12, 7 p.m., Dorothy C. Wilson Education Center