Voters Pass School Budget by Overwhelming Majority

Ramsey voters Tuesday overwhelmingly passed the school district’s $58.4 million proposed budget, according to unofficial results released by borough clerk Meredith Bendian Tuesday night.

According to the unofficial results, 78% of voters chose to pass the budget, which calls for a $48.2 million tax levy, an about 0.2% increase in taxes for residents over last year. According to the results, 1,169 people voted for the budget, and only 329, or 22% of voters, voted against it.

Unofficial results cited the following voting results, by district:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Total

Yes

121

216

178

98

214

69

155

118

1,169

No

27

62

62

23

49

41

43

22

329

According to district officials, the spending plan calls for an annual tax increase of $14.87 for the average homeowner in Ramsey with a home worth $427,200. Residents can figure out their anticipated tax increase under the proposed budget by adding $3.48 for each $100,000 of their home’s assessed value.

Officials said the 0.2% tax increase this year, which is the lowest increase proposed in at least 30 years, was dictated by several different factors, including refinancing, last year’s teacher contract negotiations, and increased employee healthcare contributions.

Of the 10,326 voters registered in Ramsey, 1,510 – or about 14.6% - turned out to vote.

The three incumbent candidates for the Ramsey school board – Timothy Finnegan, Claudia Monteith, and Carrie Williams – .

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