Proposed $56.2M Croton-Harmon School Budget On The Ballot May 16

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY — The 2023 budget and school board vote is May 16 and three seats are up for election on the Croton-Harmon Board of Education.

Trustee Mary Obermeier, whose term expires at the end of June, is not running again. Trustees Neal Haber and Sarah Carrier are seeking re-election. Anamika Bhatnagar also seeks a seat on the school board.

The proposed spending plan of $56,174,983 is 6.65 percent higher than the current budget. District officials said the major factors driving expenses this year are salaries and increased staffing, benefit costs, utility increases, the impact of inflation on the cost of goods and services, and the end of COVID-19 grant funding.

The tax levy is below the state's tax cap, set at 2 percent for the second straight year.

There are two other propositions on the ballot.

• The first asks voters to approve the purchase of five vehicles: an electric 66-passenger school bus for up to $446,000, a 30-passenger gas-powered vehicle for up to $98,900, a 7-passenger hybrid SUV for up to $75,900, and two low-speed electric utility vehicles for up to $38,000.
• The second is the $937,822 annual budget for the Croton Free Library.

The Board of Education has a budget hearing scheduled for May 4.

District officials also have posted a Superintendent’s Video Update with information about the Strategic Planning goals developed by a district-wide team.

If you are not registered to vote, you may do so online with the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, or by mail through the Westchester County Board of Elections (download and print a voter registration form from the Westchester Board of Elections website). The last day to register to vote with the Board of Elections is May 11.

Also, you may register in person with District Clerk Tracey Borges, Croton-Harmon School District Office, 10 Gerstein St., Croton-on-Hudson, New York, 10520 (271-4713 ext. 4202) during regular business hours, up to five days before the vote.

Registered voters who cannot make it to the polls May 16 may download an application for an absentee ballot here or from the District Clerk at the District Office during regular business hours (8 a.m. - 4 p.m.).

Completed absentee-ballot applications must be received by the District Clerk at least seven days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or the voter’s designated agent.

Absentee ballots must be returned to the District Clerk's Office by 5 p.m. May 16.