SOUTH OTSELIC – After last year’s budget vote at Otselic Valley Central School, administrators put together an exit poll, asking voters to voice their concerns. The overwhelming majority said they were concerned about the increasing rate of the tax levy.

In an attempt to deal with the response, the Otselic Valley School Board has been working to keep the tax levy increase to a minimum.

“Our budget is increasing by 4.59 percent, which is one of the lowest in the county,” said school superintendent Larry Thomas. The 4.59 percent increase would bring Otselic Valley’s budget total to $8,178,842.

Thomas explained the affect the budget would have on the tax rate. “Because of our tax base, the tax levy increase is going to be 5.77 percent, which is one of the highest in the county,” said Thomas. Even with the relatively high tax levy increase, Thomas still says the tax increase is the lowest it has been in a couple of years.

While the school claims they received good state aid, they did not receive the same level of increase as many other schools in the area. Because they do not offer a universal pre-Kindergarten program, $92,000 of the state aid they were available for was cut immediately, leaving them with roughly $200,000.