Fulton City School District Budget Approved

by Randy Pellis

FULTON, May 22, 2019 — Fulton City School District voters overwhelmingly approved all the district asked for Tuesday including a $73.35 million budget and a $15.1 million capital improvement project.

The 2019-2020 budget was approved by a vote of 400 to 145. The $73.35 million represents a 1.89 percent ($1.36 million) increase over the present budget and results in a 2.69 percent ($556,030) increase in the tax levy. That levy, though, is within the state tax cap thereby enabling residents registered for the STAR tax exemption to receive a refund from the state this fall. Nearly $50 million in state aid, plus additional miscellaneous revenues of $2.26 million, left Fulton taxpayers responsible for $21.19 million of the $73.35 million total.

The $15.1 million capital improvement project was approved by a vote of 424 to 121. State aid will cover $13.7 million of that cost. For the remaining $1.4 million, the school board voted to dip into its reserves, thereby enabling the project to go forward at no additional cost to taxpayers.

Two present school board members, running unopposed for two seats, were re-elected to three year terms each. Lynn Lyons received 468 votes, while Timothy Crandell was returned with 436 votes.

The library tax, separate from the annual school district budget, of $434,352 for the continuing support and maintenance of the Fulton Public Library was passed by a vote of 389 to 155. Six library trustees were also voted in. They, along with their individual vote totals are: Jacquline D. Zaborowski, 241 votes; Sarah Fay, 434 votes; Dennis Merlino, 269 votes; Meagan Overton, 295 votes; Kathy Sipling, 296 votes; and Dennis Casey, 275 votes.

The purchase of one passenger van and one wheelchair bus not to cost more than
$112,000 was approved by a vote of 416 to 128.

And the addition of a high school senior to the Board of Education as a non-voting, ex officio member was approved by a 431 to 109 vote.

The Fulton school board is scheduled to meet tonight to ratify the vote.

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