Burnet CISD approves tax rate, adopts budget for 2013-2014
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — The Burnet Consolidated Independent School District board of trustees approved a tax rate and adopted the 2013-2014 budget during a regular meeting Aug. 19.
The total tax rate is $1.2625 with $1.04 for maintenance and operations and $0.2225 for debt service.
“We will leave the tax rate the same,” BCISD business manager Sarah Cervi said.
The total budget is $24,377,579 with $19 million going for personnel. Of that amount, $370,000 is for a general pay increase.
Cervi said when the Texas Legislature adopted Senate Bill 1 earlier this year, it meant an additional $850,000 was added into the budget.
“They’re reinstating some of the budget cuts we took a couple of years ago,” she said. “That’s what allowed us to give a general pay increase.”
Board president Andy Feild expressed satisfaction with the board’s effort.
“You have done a lot of work,” he said. “This started in January. It was quite a team effort. I’m proudest we were able to do the raises.”
“It’s a tight budget,” Cervi said. “I believe if we’re going to move forward, we have to try to do the things that matter.”
The board also approved sending a letter to the Texas Education Agency telling officials the district will purchase attendance credits in case BCISD moves into the recapture category of Chapter 41. Currently, BCISD is listed as property wealthy but doesn’t have to pay into the system. Recapture occurs when property values reach $495,000 per student. BCISD is at $420,629 for the 2013-2014 school year and projected at $432,356 for the 2014-2015 and $443,199 for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Property values must increase 17.6 percent before the district moves into recapture, officials said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com