Plan could raise taxes in New Hanover

Wrightstown taxes could go down under same plan for district

By: Scott Morgan
   NEW HANOVER — The New Hanover Township School District school board approved its $4.4 million budget for 2006-2007 last week, a plan that would see taxes go down in Wrightstown, but up in New Hanover, if it is approved by voters.
   Superintendent George Pratt said programs and services are staying largely stable and that there will be no significant cuts or reductions. But the budget, approved by the board on March 30, would raise the township’s school tax rate by 10 cents if approved by voters on April 18. That would make the tax rate $1.72 per $100 of assessed valuation, meaning that the owners of a house assessed at $161,600, the township average, would see a school tax bill of about $2,780. That’s about $160 more than last year.
   In Wrightstown, though, residents can expect to see their tax rate drop by 16 cents, to $1.51 per $100 of assessed property value. For the owner of a township-average $93,000 home, that means an annual school tax bill of about $1,400 — roughly $150 less than last year.
   School officials use a formula based on property values to determine how school taxes would be shared.
   The overall budget is up about $100,000 from last year, something Mr. Pratt almost considers a genuine feat. Given the rise in basic costs, from salaries to healthcare to supplies, he said, keeping the system running at its current level amid frozen state aid is very satisfying.
   Part of the reason the budget is staying manageable, he said, is a decrease (by 10) in the number of special education students sent out of district. "We’re very fortunate to be in the shape we’re in, with how the times are," he said.