The Bridgehampton School District’s 2021-2022 budget goes to a revote Tuesday, June 15, after its original 8.93-percent tax-levy increase was knocked down to 6.49 percent — still piercing the tax cap — when $400,000 of unanticipated income was discovered during a re-examination of the original spending plan.
While school officials could not be reached for comment this week, documents posted on the district website show that overall spending will remain the same in the $20.66 million budget as when the budget was first put before voters last month. The revote takes place in the Bridgehampton School gym from 2 to 8 p.m. Because it falls above the New York State cap on tax levy increases, a supermajority of 60-percent voter approval is required for it to pass. In May, the budget fell just shy of that mark, at 59.3 percent voter approval.
At a June 8 budget hearing, school officials also announced that a 10-year window project bond of $135,000 had been paid off. There is also a possibility, they said, that there would be a revenue increase of $150,000 in state money for Bridgehampton if the school’s new construction project is completed by July 1.
If the budget fails a second time and a contingency plan is enacted, the district would have to cut about $1.37 million from its spending plan to bring it down to $19.19 million.
If approved, school taxes would go up next year by $102 for houses valued at $1 million, $254 for houses valued at $2.5 million, and $509 for houses valued at $5 million.