CCISD adopts tax rate and budget, will cancel November election

By DAVID J. HARDIN

Cove Leader-Press

The Copperas Cove Independent School District Board of Trustees held a public hearing on Monday to discuss the proposed budget for the 2015-2016 school year and proposed tax rate for tax year 2015. 

The public did not attend the public hearing, and even though the only attendees were the board of trustees and CCISD administration executives, the new fiscal year 2015-2016 budget was still presented. 

Executive Director of Business Services for CCISD, Glenn Graham, went through the important elements of the budget.

The 2015-2016 school year has a general operating fund of $70,608,345 with expenditures of $70,255,335, and a surplus of $353,010. The Food Service operating budget is $3,314,915, and the debt service fund is $4,277,290 with expenditures being 4,630,300, leaving a deficit of $353,010. The general operating fund's surplus will be used to make up the gap in the debt service fund.

The public hearing adjourned at 6:15 p.m.

During the special meeting of the CCISD Board of Trustees which followed, they unanimously adopted the 2015-2016 budget.

The board also decided to keep the tax rate for the tax year 2015 at $1.217 per $100 of assessed valuation, which is the same as last year’s tax rate. The meeting adjourned at 6:38 p.m.

As of Monday, two candidates had filed for Place 2 on the board of trustees, Harry Byrd and incumbent Bob Weiss. Inez Faison, incumbent for place 1, also filed to run again.

Before the filing deadline of 5 p.m. Monday, Weiss withdraw his application and he is no longer a candidate for reelection, said Wendy Sledd, the CCISD public information officer. Therefore, the November school board election will be canceled. Weiss has been on the board since 2003.

Lynette Sowell contributed to this article.