Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Thursday, October 2, 2014
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Money on their minds at PES Hoping for black ink this year By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Finances, past and present, were on the agenda at Monday’s meeting of the Princeton Elementary School Board. Following a public hearing on the proposed 2015 Fiscal Year budget, the PES Board went into regular session and approved its 2015 Fiscal Year budget which shows projected revenue of $14,209,829 and projected expenses of $13,765,730. Superintendent Tim Smith reviewed the FY ‘15 budget, detailing expenses and revenue for each fund. The education fund, which is the largest fund of the budget, shows $8,530,426 on both the revenue and expense sides of the budget, but that balance is only accomplished with a sweep, or transfer, of $1,345,204 into the education fund, Smith said. Smith said the projected end-of-year balance on June 30, 2015, shows a balance in all funds of $3,075,589, but, again, that is based upon the issuance of $2 million in bonds during the coming year. Looking ahead at expenses for the coming year, Smith said the district will try to out-perform on the expense side in every fund. The district will toe the line and hold the costs down the best it can, he said. In other financial business, the board heard from auditor Joel Hopkins who presented the district’s FY ‘14 budget. Total revenue for the district for FY ‘14, on the accrual basis, was $11,038,000, which was up about $900,000 from the previous year. Property tax revenue was up for the year, due to a reimbursement to the district for Perry Memorial Hospital coming back on the tax rolls. Also, fees, lunches and text lines revenue for the year was $382,000, up from $345,000 the prior year. The new technoloYear 168 No. 118 Two Sections - 28 Pages
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gy fee generated about $45,000. State aid and grants totaled $3,100,000 for the year, up from $2,842,000 the prior year. Total education expenditures for FY ‘14 was $8,745,000, which was very consistent with the amount spent the prior year, Hopkins said. Expense in the Operations and Maintenance Fund increased to $715,000, up from $632,000 the prior year, with that increase caused primarily by increased utility costs due to last year’s cold winter. Special education costs increased. The Transportation Fund cut its fuel expense by $30,000. Total expenses for the year was $11,261,000, which was an increase of about $125,000 from the previous year, the auditor said. In other business at Monday’s meeting, Smith reported he received a letter from Bureau Valley School District Superintendent Steve Endress saying the district is making plans to no longer administer and house the BEST and Bureau County Alternative Education programs at its Manlius site, in the former Manlius school building. The old building needs repairs to the roof, which will cost an estimated $250,000-$300,000, and the Bureau Valley School Board has decided against doing that, Smith said. Though it changes from year-to-year, PES may have up to three students total, in one of the two school programs. Some years there are no students in those programs. This year, PES has one student in one of the programs. The initial stage of discussion has begun for the 16-member school districts which are participants in the BEST and Alternative Education programs, Smith said. The available options will be discussed by a six-member committee, of which he is a member, Smith said. Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.
Harvest time in Bureau County! You don’t have to look too far to see a farmer in the field around Bureau County. This photo, taken on Route 34 between Princeton and Dover, depicts the fall harvest which is ongoing throughout the county, state and Midwest. Motorists should watch for slow-moving equipment as the farmers head from one field to the next. BCR photos/Becky Kramer
Spring Valley still debating LED signs City denied Safe Route to School Grant By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY — Spring Valley aldermen are still at the drawing board when it comes to drafting an ordinance for regulating the LED signs in the city. Brandon DeBoer, a representative from Daktronics — a LED manufacture company, was able to give insight on the topic at a Public Health and Safety Committee meeting held last week. At Monday’s city council meeting, Spring Valley City Attorney Jim Andre-
oni gave a brief recap of the presentation, in which DeBoer talked about the differences between two light measurements — nits and foot-candles. According to Andreoni, DeBoer recommended the council use the measurement of foot-candles in its LED sign ordinance, which is a different light measurement than Andreoni first introduced to the council through an ordinance he shared from the city of Chicago. It was not said what direction the council will take regarding the future ordinance, but more discussion will be held on the topic at the next Public Health and Safety Committee meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7.
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PHS presents deficit budget Haring: ‘We are hoping we can do better than we are projecting’ By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Princeton High School Board of Education has approved a deficit budget for Fiscal Year 2015. The PHS Board held a public hearing on the proposed budget on Monday evening; no one from the public attended. The board then went into regular session and approved the budget, which shows projected total revenue in all funds of $7,306,520 and total expenses in all funds of $7,800,696, resulting in a deficit of $494,176. Superintendent Kirk
Haring reminded the board the deficit budget is a worst-case scenario. “We are hoping we can do better than we are projecting. We will work hard just like we did last year and the years before, and I anticipate we will be able to bring that deficit down,” Haring said. In other financial business, the board heard from auditor Kim Bird who reviewed the Fiscal Year 2014 audited numbers. In giving some of the highlights from the budget, Bird said revenue for the education fund was down from the previous year by about
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