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West Babylon Taxpayers look to work with WBSD to slow tax rate increases The West Babylon Taxpayers Association (WBTA), which has been holding public meetings to inform and educate the community about the school budget, is asking the school district to make some changes this year. It wants the district to bring more people into the process, and to address their financial concerns. At a meeting Jan. 10, WBTA President William Hill announced that the organization will be putting its requests to the district in writing this week. Specifically, the WBTA wants the district to hold the line on the tax rate this year, provide the public with a 3-5 year financial/business plan and to offer a plan for its reserve funds, which the WBTA estimated at between $11 and $14 million. In addition, it wants the district to make greater efforts to distribute budget information, including putting that information on the district's website. The district has five reserve funds that are designed to reflect liabilities it incurs each year for costs associated for workers compensation, unemployment, retirement contributions and insurance. New York state is asking every school district and municipality to adopt an accounting policy that sets aside these encumbrances each year, and will be mandating it within two years. Hill said he has no problem with having West Babylon comply with what the state is asking, and agrees it is a sound fiscal policy. What he disputes, however, is the amount being put into these funds. "They have to reflect something at least close to the actual liability," he said. "But from what I can see money being put into these funds far exceeds what they need." Anthony Cacciola, superintendent for West Babylon School District said he "respectfully disagrees," with Hill's assessment of the school's finances. "We actually have about $7 million in these funds and they are, to the best of our ability at the proper levels," said Cacciola, who added that the district's fund for employee benefits is probably underfunded at $150,000, not overfunded." Hill said the district should make an effort to advise the public about how the liability figures are assessed. "How can we, as a community, go to our state lawmakers every year and tell them we need more money when we have millions of dollars sit- ting in these bank accounts," he said. More than that, Hill said the school district should hold in reserve only what it calculates it owes, and return the excess in these lines to the public. "People are hurting, and while everyone would love to have a huge financial cushion, taxpayers today can't afford that," he said. "The school district has to be more realistic and live in the same world as the taxpayers who pay the bills." Cacciola said that is exactly what the district does. In 2007, for example, the district put $2 million of unreserved funds into the 2007-8 budget to help reduce the tax levy, he said.
"Basically I think we have a difference of opinion on how much we should give back, but considering what is happening at the state level, we have to be very careful," said Cacciola. "If we met the West Babylon Taxpayers mandate for a zero percent increase this year, and see the reductions in the STAR program that the Governor is talking about, then it will cost homeowners even more next year when we have to balance the budget to make up for those losses."
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