Voters defeat proposed Niagara Wheatfield budget

by Ralph Schwarz
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, May 20, 2004

The expected voter low turnout brought an unexpected result as residents in the Niagara Wheatfield School District defeated the proposed 2004-05 school budget in last Tuesday's board/budget vote.

In a close decision, 51.2 percent of the voters rejected the proposed $52.04 million budget. According to unofficial results released Tuesday night, 620 ballots were cast against and 591 for the budget proposition.

"I'm very disappointed," said District Superintendent Dr. Judith Howard. "The difference in this race was the low voter turnout combined with the circumstance that the 'yes' voters did not come out."

Tuesday's outcome marked the first time in nearly 10 years that Niagara Wheatfield voters have rejected the budget. The proposed 2004-05 budget included a 4.9 percent tax increase to cover increased costs caused by state mandates and employee/retirement benefits, as well as increases in student enrollment without eliminating any educational programs or enlarging class sizes. The proposed tax increase would have resulted in an average tax rate of $20.43 per thousand of assessed valuation. The district currently operates on a $48.4 million budget with an property tax rate of $19.48.

In a first analysis of the vote count, Howard said that the number of 'no' voters remained stable compared to last year's results. In 2003, 603 voters rejected the budget proposition, while 726 voters cast their ballots in favor of the proposal. Last year, 1,338 residents went to the polls; this year, only 1,211 took advantage of their voting privileges.

'Yes' Voters Stayed Away

"I think there were no more 'no' votes taken than last year," Howard said, noting that the uncontested race for the school board might have also had an impact on the voter turnout.

"When you have only two contestants running for two board seats, you don't have that many voters come out," she said. "It seems that many of the eligible voters were just complacent. Yes, complacency is the right word."

Kerrin Dumphrey, the district's business executive, expressed a similar opinion.

"With a voter turnout lower than last year, and that by over 100 votes, you can say that's the reason the vote failed," he said.

Overall, less than 10 percent of the 17,000 eligible voters residing in the district went to the polls.

Dumphrey said that the school board will use the upcoming board meeting to assess its options on whether to put up a revised budget for vote or to operate on a contingency budget.

"I'm sure the board will look at all of its options," he said. "Right now, it's too early to make any predictions."

Incumbents Re-elected

Contrary to the budget, the voters overwhelmingly re-elected the incumbent board members, Patricia Crider and Maureen Kaus to another three-year term on the Board of Education.

Kaus, a town of Wheatfield resident, received 899 votes. This number equals 74.2 percent of all ballots cast. Kaus, who currently serves as the board's president, has been a board member since 1995.

Crider, who also lives in Wheatfield, received 864 votes, equaling 71.3 percent of all ballots cast. She has served on the board since 1998.

Both candidates run unopposed.