Spending plan OK’d in Rocky Hill

Voters approve $958,913 school budget 36-18.

By: Kara Fitzpatrick
   ROCKY HILL — Voters approved a $958,913 school budget for the 2005-2006 school year Tuesday by a margin of 36 to 18.
   Of the total funds, $813,073 will be raised through property taxes. The budget is $34,086 more than last year’s. The tax rate for school expenses will be $1.30 per $100 of assessed valuation, up about 2 cents from the 2004 budget.
   In addition, Jacqueline Schutter was elected to the single board seat, earning 46 votes. Ms. Schutter will replace Wendy Neusner, who will complete her single term on the board this month.
   Randie Zimmerman, school board president, said that with only one candidate running for the single seat on the board, the turnout was "a little bit high."
   Ms. Zimmerman said she believes residents may have felt compelled to vote because they believed the borough’s spending was linked to Montgomery Township’s. In Montgomery, where the budget failed by a 2-1 margin, school taxes would have increased by nearly $1,000 for the owner of an average home, which is assessed for tax purposes at $513,800.
   "I think some people wanted to make a statement against excessive spending, that’s why we had a higher turnout than usual," Ms. Zimmerman said. She added, the borough’s school board has "no control" over what Montgomery chooses to spend within its budget.
   When the borough’s school budget was introduced in March, Ms. Zimmerman said the increase was mainly due to hikes in tuition. Total school tuition for 2005 increased $33,086 from last year, said Frank Chilson, business administrator and board secretary.
   Tuition fees constitute all but $1,000 of the budget increase. The owner of an average borough house — assessed at $211,546 — will pay a school tax bill of about $2,750.