Budget Information and CommunicationsFiscal Emergency – Message from Superintendent How did we get here? – Video Fund Balance Analysis – Chart Overview of Taxes – Video Historical Taxes – Chart Tax Comparison – Chart 5/18/20 School Board meeting and adoption of budget – Facebook Live recording Budget Website Tutorial – Video Special Education Costs – Video Annual Budget Hearing – Livestream Interview on Capital Pressroom Deeper Dive in Historical and Comparative Taxes ResourcesAdministrative Compensation Report Office of State Comptroller Statewide School Tax Rates STAR exemption/rebate:Star Website – Sign up / Learn More Will taxpayers lose the STAR rebate because the school exceeds the tax cap? No, the STAR exemption or STAR credit (a newer methodology for new homeowners) is still in effect for individual taxpayers whether a district remains within the tax cap or not. The property tax relief credit, which resulted in taxpayers receiving a check in or around the fall required a resident’s school district to be tax cap compliant. However, that program, which began in 2016, was fully phased in 2019, and as a result, will not be available for 2020. There is no rebate opportunity to lose this year. | QuestionsHow will this affect me? What will the ballot look like? When are Ballots Due now? Ballots must be hand-delivered to the Rensselaer County Board of Elections by 5:00 p.m., on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, or must be postmarked by no later than June 9, 2020 (one day later than in past years as a result of a recent legislative amendment) and received by mail by Rensselaer County Board of Elections by 5:00 p.m. on June 16, 2020, or the ballot will not be counted. How do I find out if I am registered? How do I register to vote? What is the last day to register to vote? How much do we spend compared to others? What might it look like if there was not a -11.1% tax levy in 2017?
What will happen if the budget does not pass? How do absentee ballots work and how are they kept anonymous? We want to remind all community members who are submitting absentee ballots for the School Budget Vote and Board of Education Election to remember to include your name, address and signature on the outside of the return envelope. Signing the envelope is the same as signing the voter roll when you are voting in person. The purpose of doing this is to protect the voter from someone else voting as them. We understand that the absentee ballot itself, and filling out the absentee ballot return envelope, are probably new for most of our residents and you may have questions about how we process these absentee ballots, particularly how the Board of Elections ensures voter anonymity. They are able to ensure voter anonymity through a two-step process as required by law. First, prior to the ballot envelope being opened, specific Election Inspectors compare the voter’s name and address on the envelope to our registered voter roll to confirm that only residents of the District are voting. These same Election Inspectors make sure the envelope is signed to ensure that no one other than you is using your ballot to cast a vote. Second, once this information has been certified by these Election Inspectors the ballot envelope is opened, the ballot, without being unfolded, is immediately separated from the return envelope and the folded ballot is placed into the ballot box with the other folded absentee ballots. Then, a different set of Election Inspectors whose sole job is to record the votes as presented on the ballot removes the ballots from the box and records the votes, without knowing who submitted that ballot. Again, while most residents have not previously voted using absentee ballots, it is very important for our community to know the Board of Elections is utilizing the same absentee ballot process for this year that has been used in past budget votes and elections for those residents who may have been temporarily out of the area, or for other reasons were unable to cast their ballot in person. Vote integrity and voter anonymity are essential to our budget vote and Board of Education member election and by utilizing this two-step process the Board of Elections is able to safeguard the voting process. Why does the Board of Elections handle Rensselaer City School District’s vote and not other schools? The canvassing of the ballots for Rensselaer’s annual election and budget vote is conducted pursuant to Election Law and not Education Law. With the exception of Rensselaer, every Small City School District in the State has its elections governed by Article 53 of the Education Law Section 2601-a Rensselaer’s elections are specifically included in Section 2502 of the Education Law.
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