Residents in West Middlesex and Shenango and Lackawannock townships are likely going to be facing another increase in their school taxes.

Directors voted 5 to 3 Monday on a proposed $11,287,400 budget that includes a 4.5-mill tax hike under the county's new property assessment ratio, the equivalent of 13 1/2 mills under the former ratio.

Directors Warden Burger, Connie David, Walter Gelesky, Dale Shrawder and Board President Tom Hubert voted for the spending plan and tax hike and Arlene Repko, Gary Koncar and Kevin Kirk opposed. Director Marshall Campbell was absent.

Hubert said the board voted on several proposed tax hikes, including 4.82 mills and 7.7 mills.

Directors settled on a levy of 53.1 mills.

This year's levy is 147 mills. The figures differ because last year, county commissioners changed the property tax assessment ratio from 33.3 percent of a property's 1970 market value to 100 percent. The change basically cuts all millage numbers to a third of their former level.

According to district figures a mill costs the average taxpayer $18, so a 4.5-mill increase will be $81. At 53.1 mills, a home assessed at $20,000 would carry a tax bill of $1,062.

A new mill brings the district $62,000 instead of $20,000, Business Manager Margaret Burgoon said.

During the first year after an assessment change, school boards are not legally allowed to raise taxes more than 10 percent. Hubert said the proposed increase is just below the cap at about 9.2 percent.

Mrs. Repko, who opposed the budget and tax package, said she "voted for the 7.7-mill increase only because I wanted something to work with. I am a taxpayer, and I am mindful of being fiscally responsible."

Mrs. Repko said she believes the students are the No. 1 priority and she doesn't want to see the budget trimmed so much that it starts to affect programming and class size.

"I don't think that's unreasonable. I'm not out there going, 'Let's just spend it all'. I don't want to cut it (the budget) so tight. I don't want to shortchange the kids," she said.

So far the board has not discussed any cuts to the budget, Hubert said.

Kirk said he too supported a 7.7-mill hike because there are "things that need to be taken care of at the school," such as a leaking roof at the high school.

"I realize that every mill is more dollars out of the taxpayers' pocket, and I pay taxes here also," Kirk said. "I don't believe in the Band-aid solution." He added the board needs to find an effective way to fix problems and get caught up.

The district has seen a $367,000 increase in expenditures, Hubert said. He added that the district has had more general-fund spending and tax increases in the last two years than it has since 1986.

Last year the initial budget proposal for the current school year included a 29.8 mill tax hike, or 9.93 new mills. After weeks of finance meetings, directors managed to cut about $163,000 in spending and raised taxes 14.8 mills, or 4.93 new mills.

The district is paying off a bond issue for renovations at Oakview Elementary that should have added an additional 3.3 mills to the 2002-03 budget. However, the district saved $370,000 by refinancing a bond issue on the high school, and that money will be used to pay the elementary bond issue, Hubert said.

Hubert said the board also learned Monday that $300,000 was not spent from the current year's budget. The money was taken out of line items last year during budget cuts and was set aside in case it was needed.

Hubert said he would like to relook at the budget now that the board is aware there's leftover money.

A finance meeting concerning the budget is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Luther Low Elementary.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharon-herald.com