Wednesday, February 13, 2013
School district business administrator: Preliminary budget is 'tenuous, very conservative.'
The Abington School Board approved the district’s 2013-14 preliminary budget at its meeting Tuesday night. The preliminary budget weighs in at $137.33 million — $3.86 million or 3 percent higher than last year’s budget. The biggest single increase in the preliminary budget is something the board can’t control: mandated benefits, the school district’s contribution to the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS). This year, the district must contribute 16.93 percent to PSERS — 16 percent of that is the pension rate and the remainder goes to health insurance premium assistance. According to the website, PSERS is also funded through investment earnings and mandatory member contributions. For a press release on the PSERS rate this year…
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Abington School Board will consider a motion to adopt a preliminary budget; it shows an increase of about 3 percent.
According to the draft agenda, the Abington School Board will likely approve the district’s 2013-14 preliminary budget at its meeting tonight. The draft agenda shows that the proposed preliminary budget weighs in at $137.33 million — $3.86 million or 3 percent higher than last year’s installment. See the whole agenda in the pdf section. There was no tax increase last year. See that story here. The meeting will be held tonight at 7:30 p.m. Check back later for an update.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Abington Board of Commissioners will hold its final 2013 budget meeting tonight at the township building.
At a mid-November budget workshop, the consensus of the Abington Board of Commissioners was to move forward and advertise a final budget that will include a 0.05 millage increase in the fire tax and the use of $315,000 of fund balance to cover capital projects … and a $484,000 budget gap. The proposed tax increase would bump the fire tax from 0.589 mills to 0.639 mills — and would generate about $171,300, though the money could only be used for fire-related expenses. The millage increase means a homeowner with a home assessed at $150,000 would pay $96 annually in fire tax, up about $8 over last year; a homeowner with a house assessed at $200,000 would pay $128, up $10 over the 2012 rate. Click here to see the township’s proposed budget …
40.116848
-75.120486
Abington Township
1176 Old York Rd, Abington, PA
/articles/final-budget-meeting-tonight
862848
/locations/8425705
Friday, November 16, 2012
... with a proposed increase in the fire tax
Comfortable. That’s how many of the Abington Township Commissioners felt about how the 2013 budget deficit will likely be covered. Last night, at a budget workshop, the consensus of the Abington Board of Commissioners was to move forward with the budget process and advertise a final budget hearing that will include a 0.05 millage increase in the fire tax and the use of $315,000 of fund balance to cover capital projects … and a $484,000 budget gap. There is about $5.1 million in the unallocated fund balance. The proposed tax increase would bump the fire tax from 0.589 mills to 0.639 mills — and would generate about $171,300, though the money could only be used for fire-related expenses. The millage increase means a homeowner with a home …
40.116848
-75.120486
Abington Township
1176 Old York Rd, Abington, PA
/articles/abington-budget-process-moves-forward
862848
/locations/8151559
Thursday, November 15, 2012
There's a $484K budget gap to work out.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Abington Board of Commissioners will hold a budget presentation tonight at the township building. Last week, the board of commissioners approved a motion adopting a preliminary general fund budget for 2013 of $34.32 million; this includes an unfunded difference of about $483,800. Approving the preliminary budget is merely procedural, and is keeping in line with the First Class Township code; it's not binding. Should these figures stand, the general purpose millage rate would increase by 0.09241 to 3.42251 mills; the fire millage rate would increase by 0.050667 mills to 0.639667. A homeowner with a house assessed at $150,000 would pay $609 in annual taxes, up about $21 over last year; a homeowner with a home assessed at $200,000 …
40.116848
-75.120486
Abington Township
1176 Old York Rd, Abington, PA
/articles/abington-talks-budget-tonight
862848
/locations/8149110
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Superintendent: 'I think we accomplished the [school board's] goals'
The Abington School Board last night approved the district’s 2012-13 budget; there will be no tax increase. The board unanimously passed the $133.47 million budget; the budget is up 4.55 percent over the 2011-12 installment, but the millage rate stays at 27.80. That means a home assessed at $141,000 will pay $3,920 annually. And, if you register with the state as a homestead, you’ll see a flat reduction of your tax bill to the tune of $205 — regardless of the assessed value of your home. “There have been no cuts in programming, no pay-to-play, no decreases in any way — frankly, there have been some increases — all while having a 0 percent increase for the third year in a row,” Abington School District Superintendent Amy Sichel said. “So …
40.11219
-75.12874
970 Highland Ave, Abington, PA
Abington School District Administration Building
/articles/abington-school-board-passes-budget-no-tax-hike
/locations/7330300
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
School Board President McGarry: 'That’s not happening everywhere in the state'
The Abington School Board adopted its 2011-2012 school year budget and honored members of the community at Tuesday night’s meeting. The board passed a zero percent millage tax increase for residents. School board members attributed the ability to maintain the millage rates to the districtwide pay freeze. Two budgets were approved at the meeting, each dependent on how much funding the district would receive from the state. In the event that the district receives more funding from the state than it originally allotted for in its budget, the additional funding will go into the district’s fund balance—the only difference between the two budgets. The additional budget comes after a bill was recently introduced into the Senate that would give …
40.11219
-75.12874
970 Highland Ave, Abington, PA
/articles/abington-school-board-passes-budget-with-no-tax-increase
/locations/4752114
Rachel Schwartz
4:09 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
What exactly are the school kids getting out of this budget??? I don't see their education improving, that's for sure! more ›