Batavia school budget vote delayed for comment

There were so many changes penciled in after the Batavia school district's 2009-10 draft budget was posted, school officials decided to delay approval and post a new draft for public comment.

The district will miss the state-mandated deadline for approving a budget, which is Wednesday. But it consulted with the Illinois State Board of Education, and does not expect to be penalized, as the delay is in keeping with the spirit of notification laws - to encourage public input. It has until Oct. 31 to file its budget.

"We had made so many changes in reduction of programs and cutting of expenses ... (that) we did not feel it was right to go ahead" with a vote on the initial draft, board President Ron Link said.

It's "just in case - we've never had a lot of people come and look at our budget and question it. But things are changing," he said.

School boards are required to post a draft budget at least 30 days before voting on it. Batavia posted its budget for public inspection Aug. 11, assuming it would vote on it Sept. 22.

In the interim, the board asked the staff for further reductions in spending, to avoid deficit spending in the operating funds' budgets. Those were detailed in a report for the Sept. 8 committee of the whole meeting.

The budget calls for $64.789 million in revenue and $64.781 million in expenses in the operating funds - tort immunity, education, operations and maintenance, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, transportation and working cash. It projects an $8,000 surplus, unlike the Aug. 11 version of the budget, which expected a $1.45 million deficit.

It expects to receive 4.69 percent more in property taxes. Those taxes pay for the majority of the expenses, more than 79 percent.

The budget is available at the Rosalie M. Jones Administration Center, 335 W. Wilson St. It is also available on the district's Web site, bps101.net.

The fiscal year began July 1.