Content about director of finance

08.12.11

New director

With Marilynn Berner retiring as Northgate's director of finance and operations at the end of September, the Northgate School Board has hired her replacement.

Christopher Urso was hired with a two-year contract at a salary of $66,000 per year. His 2011-12 salary will be pro-rated.

Ursu already has begun work at Northgate in order to be able to take over the district's business office in October.

08.06.10

Avonworth to save with bond refunding

The Avonworth School District could save nearly a half million dollars by refunding its bond issues, and the school board is expected to set the process in motion next week.

Director of finance Brad Waters told board members at their work session Monday that interest rates are now in the area where refunding could result in the minimum 2 percent savings considered optimal for refunding.

05.07.10

Avonworth tax hike at .6 mills

The Avonworth School Board is expected to vote Monday on a proposed 2010-11 budget that will increase the property tax millage rate by six-tenths of one mill.

The $22,381,375 spending plan will require a transfer from the district’s reserve fund of about $766,000, according to Avonworth director of finance Brad Waters, which will put the fund balance at 8 percent of the district’s operating budget.

04.09.10

Co-op wrestling targeted for cuts

The Avonworth-Northgate wrestling program is the latest target of school officials looking for ways to trim their budgets.

Wrestling is one of four cooperative sports programs shared by the two local school districts because neither has enough students to support its own teams. The other sports, for which the districts split the costs evenly, are golf, swimming and track.

A recent meeting of administrators from both districts produced what Avonworth superintendent Dr. Valerie McDonald termed a "collaborative agreement" to eliminate wrestling for a number of reasons.

02.05.10

Avonworth projects tax hike

Avonworth administrators believe they will need to increase property taxes by .85 mills in the next fiscal year, and the district's school board will vote Monday on whether to approve a preliminary budget based on the higher millage rate.

The tax increase includes not only the .55 mills allowed under the state index, but an additional .3 mills officials hope they can levy without getting voter approval on a primary election referendum.

01.22.10

Boards take first steps toward tax increases

Both the Avonworth and Northgate schools boards have taken the first steps on a road that could lead to sizeable property tax increases later this year.

Both boards voted Monday to advertise budgets for the 2010-11 fiscal year, which is required if the districts want to preserve their ability to increase the millage rate more than the state index allows.

In the Avonworth School District, that means the millage rate could increase more than 2.9 percent over the 2009-10 rate, and in Northgate a hike of more than 4 percent could be on the horizon.

09.25.09

News Briefs

Relief funds Kilbuck Township officials are not sure what to do with almost $5,000 in fire relief funds received recently.

06.26.09

Bellevue officials disagree on Glaser Avenue contribution

Bellevue Council wants to negotiate with the Northgate School District over sharing the cost of the Glaser Avenue rehabilitation, but council members disagree on what portion Bellevue should contribute.

06.19.09

Northgate board approves $19.4 million budget for 2009-10

Even with stimulus funds, the Northgate School District might have to take a big dip into reserve funds to cover expenditures included in the 2009-10 budget.

The $19.4 million spending plan received unanimous approval from the district's school board at a meeting on Monday, June 15. The property tax millage rate will remain at the current year’s level of 24.5 mills.