State sends good news to taxpayers in Bradley> School levy to decrease due to cushion provision

BRADLEY — When Bradley voters approved the school budget on June 13, they thought they had voted for a tax increase of $19,703. But it now appears that the school budget actually decreased.

Union 90 School Superintendent Keith Ober said this week, “When the dust finally settled in Augusta, there was some good news sent back to Bradley. The Legislature decided that no community should lose more than 5 percent of the previous year’s aid. Legislators included a one-year provision in the formula, referred to as a cushion.”

Ober added, “The impact on Bradley is to send a one-time cushion payment of $22,387 for the 1995-1996 school year. The impact on the local budget is to convert an anticipated school tax increase of $19,703 to an actual school tax decrease of $2,684.”

“Once again,” said Ober, “voters in Bradley have dodged a major tax increase bullet from Augusta. Last year, for the 1994-1995 school year, the Legislature appropriated a sum of money for hardship purposes, which sent a one-time payment to Bradley in the amount of $44,082.”

Ober said the formula for aid to schools will change for the 1996-97 school year. Comparative wealth in each community will be measured by a combination of property valuations and residents’ incomes. Preliminary results show little impact on Bradley.