By ROBERT LINNEHAN
The Lenape Regional High School District’s 2011 budget will have its total tax levy reduced by $1.775 million.
Members of the Evesham Township Council approved the reduction, but Mayor Randy Brown revealed that seven of the eight municipalities in the school district wanted to reduce the tax levy by only about $800,000. Deputy Mayor Joe Howarth had to excuse himself from the vote because he teaches in the high school district.
According to Brown, Medford Township refused to vote for the reduction unless it was the full $1.775 million. The township representatives said they would only vote on the budget with the full reduction, so the other seven municipalities had to agree.
All eight municipalities had to agree on the reduction, Brown said, or the budget would not be approved.
Voters from Evesham favored the Lenape Regional High School District budget by 2,798 to 2,155 votes in the April 27 elections, but the overall budget was voted down according to district representatives. This is the second consecutive year it was defeated.
Evesham Township residents would have seen an increase in their school tax for the 2011–2012 budget if the document was approved. The tax levy increase was about 2.09 cents over last year’s rate, resulting in regional school taxes of $57.78 on an average assessed home of $288,200.
