Edited at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 24, to correct the headline to include the correct tax hike percentage.

BY MATT LINDSEY
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg Free Academy will present voters with a 2020-21 budget of $47,200,000, which represents a 4.89% ($2,200,000) increase in total spending from 2019.

OFA Superintendent Kevin Kendall said the tax levy will increase to the cap of 2.39%.

“Our overall tax levy is $10,598,360, which would be an increase of $247,434. On a $75,000 assessed home, after STAR, the increase would be $22.02/year or $1.84 per month,” Kendall said.

The budget was adopted at the April 20th BOE Meeting. I have attached the Budget Hearing Notice detailing information about BOE candidate information, date and time of the hearing, and where to go for the budget and to take part in the public hearing and when the ballots will be mailed.

“We had several cuts through attrition and savings in the area of health insurance,” Kendall said. “As always, our district relies heavily on state aid. Because of this, we are currently preparing for a worst case scenario, should funding be cut further.”

A public hearing will be held by the OFA Board of Education pertaining to the budget on Monday, June 1, at 6 p.m. People can watch live by visiting ogdensburgk12.org. There will be a link posted on the night of the hearing.

District residents can obtain a copy of the proposed budget on the district website (ogdensburgk12.org) beginning Tuesday, May 26.

Voters will also elect two people to fill vacant school board seats.

They are 5-year terms commencing on July 1, 2020 and expiring on June 30, 2025. The deadline to run was May 11.

The budget vote and school board election will occur through absentee ballot only, on Tuesday, June 9.

Registered voters residing in the Ogdensburg City School District will receive an absentee ballot by mail and a return postage envelope to return your ballot by mail only. Absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk at Ogdensburg Free Academy, 1100 State Street, Ogdensburg, New York 13669 by 5 p.m. June 9.

Residents of the Ogdensburg City School District who did not receive an absentee ballot may request one by calling 315-393-0900, ext. 31901.

Due to health and safety concerns associated with the novel coronavirus pandemic and the governor’s resulting order of school building closure, the district will not conduct personal registration of voters for the June 9, annual meeting and general election.

Unregistered voters may register to vote with the Board of Elections by filing an application online with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”). Information is available at: https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/electronic-voter-registration-application.

A list of persons to whom absentee ballots have been issued will be available for inspection in the District Office, during regular business hours, during each of the five days prior to the election, except Saturday and Sunday.

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