By MATT LINDSEY

PARISHVILLE -- A record number of Parishville-Hopkinton Central School residents voted to exceed the tax cap Tuesday, approving an increase in the 2016-17 tax levy of 4.9 percent.

A supermajority of 65 percent of voters agreed to the levy increase of $168,186.

The amount to be raised by taxpayers will be $3,600,545, said Parishville-Hopkinton Central School Superintendent Darin P. Saiff.

The tax levy limit, or “tax cap,” is legislation that ties school, county and municipal levy increase to 2 percent or consumer price index, whichever is lower. Municipalities can override the cap at the legislative level. Schools need a 60 percent supermajority of the voting public to exceed the cap.

“I am extremely encouraged by participation and results of the vote,” he said.

Saiff said more than double the number of voters turned out this year than last year, and that it was the highest number of voters on record dating back to 1980.

There were 524 votes this year. Last year 168 voters turned out for the first vote and 346 voted during the second vote, Saiff said.

“The last time we had a turnout like this for a vote was when there were merger talks in 2000,” Saiff said.

In 2000, Saiff said 496 people voted on a straw vote for the merger.

In April the Board of Education decided to go with a spending plan that will increase taxes $13.54 for an owner of a $50,000 home with a basic STAR exemption. An owner of a $100,000 home with a basic STAR exemption would see an increase of $47.40 annually.

“These are projections based on last year’s assessments,” Saiff said.

The average $100,000 home with basic STAR exemptions saw a school tax decrease of $21.79 from 2014-2015 to 2015-2016.

Saiff says the plan will eliminate BOCES equipment purchases, cut participation in the P-Tech program, reduce the kindergarten class from two to one and reduce a full-time library teaching assistant to part-time.

Cutting the kindergarten class down to one will eliminate one teaching position.

The incoming kindergarten class is expected to be less than 20 students this year, Saiff said.

Eliminating the kindergarten teaching position is a $67,598 savings.

The BOCES equipment purchases would have been updating computers and copiers in the school. PHCS buys replacement equipment through BOCES to save money and last replaced their technology a couple of years ago, Saiff said.

Eliminating BOCES equipment purchases saves $50,000 and reducing a library teaching assistant to part-time conserves $22,993 for the school.

By cutting the BOCES P-Tech program the school will save $30,000. Two students would be affected.

The school needed to close a $300,000 budget gap through eliminated a combination of teaching positions, sports and extracurricular programs. The gap was closed to about $230,000 through donations, voluntary health insurance concessions and increased aid.

The district received an anonymous $15,000 donation to support their music program, health insurance concessions from administrators and contract employees saved about $21,000 and $50,000 in additional aid was secured by Sen. Betty Little, Saiff said.

“Aid from Senator Little was very helpful in the process,” he said.

The school’s annual budget it $11,017,014.

This year Parishville-Hopkinton Central School District is eligible for a total of $6.4 million in state aid, an increase of $133,760, or 2.14 percent more than the previous school year.

“I am encouraged…we have a great school who succeeds in academics and has great community support,” Saiff said. “I am glad to be through the process and get back to the mission of educating our students.”

Incumbent Timothy Zellweger kept a seat on the school board with 301 votes. Ashley Sweeney received 191 votes.