Fleetwood Neighborhood Association News! Minutes from our Last General Meeting - The ExCEL Vote

[Susan Granata]

  Hello Neighbors!
 
Sorry for the delay in getting these minutes out, but my fingers have been
curled in a grasping, shovel holding position all weekend...finally got the
cramps out of them...(Did anyone else notice how the flakes seemed to be
laughing at you, as they piled up inches high AFTER you just finished
shoveling, despite the weathermen calling for "flurries"?)
 
Anyway, now that we're all dug out, we had a great meeting last Thursday.
Desiree Grand presented information on the upcoming ExCEL bond resolution
vote, (JANUARY 27, 2009) and I'm here to decipher it for you all. 
 
Here's the story:
NYS has a special fund for capital improvements, that school districts can
pull from, to make major repairs to buildings, such as new furnaces, roof
repairs/replacements, window replacements, etc.  Normally, these repairs
would come out of our general fund, and therefore going out to bond for them
would mean higher property taxes.  This special fund, however, pays the
district back for bonding out for the money to make the repairs, and
therefore there is NO LOCAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE for the repairs.  Here's
how it works...
 
1. School District assess need, and creates estimate of work required and
costs.
2. Voters approve bond issue.
3. School District goes out, sells bonds, gets money, and  makes repairs.
(This includes the RFP and bidding process, etc.)
4. State reimburses school district for bonds, therefore relieving the local
property tax burden.
 
Now, there are some conflicting numbers out there, and some major concerns -
#1 being that the State is in a fiscal crisis, so where is the money coming
from?
 
$7.5 Million will be coming from the special ExCEL Fund, this is guaranteed.
$13.5 Million will be coming from the NYS Special Education Fund.  According
to Desiree Grand, Patterson hasn't made any moves towards reducing funding
for this line item, and in the history of the state, no moves have been made
against it, so she, and the powers that be, are assured that the money will
be there to pay back the bonds Mount Vernon issues.
 
A total of approximately $20 Million in Capital Improvements will be made,
with no local property tax burden.  This is basically a win win situation
for Mount Vernon.  Our children deserve schools without leaky roofs,
asbestos dangers, and with boilers that function properly and fiscally
responsibly. Most of the money and work will be fixing these problems.  In
addition, some schools will be getting wiring replaced to make the
technology work properly, and other smaller line items.  In the end, our
children are benefiting, and our taxes are not rising from this bond.  
 
Some Questions That Were Asked:
"Why do we need to vote on this?" - Simple answer - anytime a school
district or public entity goes out to borrow money, the voters have to
approve it.
 
"Who will oversee the work?" - The School Superintendent, Buildings and
Ground Supervisor, and members of the Buildings and Grounds committee (which
is a public committee, and anyone can join and attend meetings).
 
"What happens when the construction goes over budget" - There is a 5%
contingency built into the budget.  
 
  _____  

There is no percentage of voters that have to approve this measure - it only
has to be a majority.  Last time, the measure lost by 5 votes, and the
school district thinks that this is because of confusion with the budget
vote. 
 
REMINDER - JANUARY 27, 2009 - EXCEL VOTE - AT YOUR LOCAL POLLING PLACE! 
  _____  

Thanks everyone! (And I'm still waiting on an update about the meeting at
City Hall? Anyone? Thanks!)
Suzie
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