Voters approve Niagara Wheatfield '04-05 budget in second attempt

by Ralph Schwarz
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, June 24, 2004

After being called to the polls for a second time within less than five weeks, voters in the Niagara Wheatfield School District approved the proposed 2004-05 school budget in a June 17 re-vote.

In another close decision, 54.5 percent of the voters approved the proposed $52.04 million budget. According to unofficial results, 1,436 ballots were cast in favor and 1,199 cast against the proposition. In the first budget vote on May 18, the budget was defeated by 622-593 votes.

For District Superintendent Dr. Judith Howard, the result also reflected a "yes" to providing future generations of Niagara Wheatfield students with a high level of education without cutting any programs.

"I'm glad the community was committed to giving us a positive vote," she said. "I think whenever you have a re-vote, you energize a certain population that's upset that you re-vote. So I think that that's probably the cause of it."

High Turnout

The budget re-vote brought one of the highest voter turnouts in the last 10 years with 2,635 residents going to the polls. At the first vote in May, only 1,215 of approximately 17,000 eligible voters cast their ballots.

"We had more than double the turnout from last time," Howard said. "So it's obvious to say that we are pleased with that positive vote."

The voter-approved 2004-05 budget includes a 4.9 percent tax increase to cover increased costs caused by state mandates and employee/retirement benefits as well as an increase in student enrollment, without eliminating any educational programs. The tax increase results in an average tax rate of $20.43 per thousand of assessed valuation. The district currently operates on a $48.4 million budget with a property tax rate of $19.48 - the lowest among school districts in Western New York.

Another budget defeat would have forced the district operate on a contingency plan for 2004-05. Although such a budget would have cut down operating costs to $51.5 million while creating a tax increase of 4.02 percent, it would have also eliminated all allocations for new equipment, primarily for the athletic programs, as well as free use of school facilities by non-school groups or community groups like the Girl and Boy Scouts, Falcon Aquatics, Lions and Rotary clubs and recreational programs held by the towns of Niagara and Wheatfield.

"The thing I was most worried about was denying free access for the community," Howard said. "I knew that that would place a hardship on the community and so I'm pleased that this didn't happen."

Community Groups Cast Votes

Howard added that the prospect that these community groups could be required to pay for the use of school facilities for their meetings and programs may have served as a reason for voters to go to the polls.

"I think one reason (for the increased voter turnout) was a participation by the people in the community groups who realized that a budget passed was going to be something that would be beneficial to them," she said.

Howard also listed the circumstances that the "yes" voters finally came out as another reason for the increased voter turnout.

"There were many people that thought the budget would pass the last time and didn't bother voting and realized that their lack of participation caused the defeat," she said.

Having the possibility of a contingency budget looming over the Niagara Wheatfield school district, Howard said she feels relieved about the public's commitment to education, although she would have preferred to see the budget pass without a re-vote.

"I hope that we don't have to do this ever again," she said.