After a closed door session prior to last nights meeting, then a moderate discussion on the floor, the board voted 6-3 to increase property taxes, not at the 4.9% that was suggested in prior budgetary meetings. The board settled for a 3.7% increase for the 22-23 school year. Most board members stated that they were not in favor of raising taxes, but said they had no choice because of looming budget deficits down the road, and they are working now to head off some possible large deficits. The board cited numerous reasons for their decision to raise taxes. Dr. Frank Meloy, president of the board, said that Harrisburg is not doing its part to help schools recover from losing money because of Covid. He said that 70% of their budget comes from the state.
