Huntington School Budget Adopted

The Huntington Board of Education adopted a $114-million budget Monday night on a 5-2 vote.

Superintendent James W. Polansky offered two slightly different versions of the budget but the board voted on just the first.

Board president Emily Rogan and trustees Tom DiGiacomo, Adam Spector, Jen Hebert and Xavier Palacios voted for the budget; board vice president John Paci III and trustee Richard McGrath voted against it.

The $114,707,235 budget represents a 2.55 percent increase over the current budget and means an estimated monthly tax increase of $22.81 on a home assessed at $3,650. Annually, that's a $273.75 increase for the same assessment.

"This manages to keep our programs and services intact in a fiscally responsible manner and also in the face of significant non-discretionary cost increases," Polansky said after the meeting.

McGrath said the board should have adopted the second version and "Give money, $64,000, back to the taxpayer."  The second budget option would have created a tax levy $64,000 lower than what was adopted, which board members said translated to about a $5 savings per homeowner.

Palacios said, "Our No.1 goal is investing in our kids’ future. It's a responsible budget. It really helps us to forecast for the future, to plan for next year."

The budget will be discussed at a public hearing May 13, with the vote and election on May 21.