MID-HUDSON- Voters in the Minisink, East Ramapo, Blind Brook, and Elmsford School Districts headed back to the polls on Tuesday to reconsider budget proposals after they failed to pass in May.
The Minisink School budget, which was reduced from it’s original proposal, passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 1459 to 818. Minisink’s original budget proposal failed in May by only 38 votes.
The East Ramapo School budget, which also failed by a small number of votes in May, 45 to be exact, was amended and presented to voters at a zero percent tax levy increase. Voters resoundingly approved the new budget, with more than 78 percent voting in favor of the revised spending plan.
The original Blind Brook budget, which required a 60 percent yes vote to pass because it exceed the state’s tax cap, achieved only a simple-majority in May. More than 72 percent of voters supported the district’s spending plan the second time around, with 1446 votes in favor, and 588 votes in opposition.
Elmsford School District’s was the only budget in the region that was not successfully adopted the second time around. District officials reduced the proposal from a 5.48 percent tax levy increase that was originally proposed, to a 2.58 percent increase. In Tuesday’s vote, the budget was once again defeated 318 no votes to 182 yes votes. The district also put forward a separate proposition to voters to expend up to $1 million from the capital reserve fund. This was also defeated by a vote of 299 no votes to 201 yes votes. The district will operate on a contingent budget for the upcoming school year.
