CMCS agrees to settlement in Monroe County sales tax case

   In July 2008, the Monroe County School Boards Association and Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks agreed to the terms of the New York State Appellate Court’s ruling that Monroe County must repay to school districts, all of the funding from sales tax revenue with its 2009 budget and also pay what is due for the current year through annual installments beginning with their 2010 budget. In addition, the court decision requires Monroe County to pay for all legal expenses related to the suit.

   Back in 2007, Monroe County announced its F.A.I.R. Plan, which called for a 50 percent reduction of its payment of sales tax revenue to school districts in order to shore up its Medicaid expenses. Two Livingston County school districts, Caledonia-Mumford and Avon Central Schools, joined 21 Monroe County school districts in a lawsuit to challenge the F.A.I.R. plan.

   The settlement restores about $100,000 to Cal-Mum Central School that was reduced from the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years. The CMCS board of education built their budget around that reduction so that taxpayers in the towns affected by the F.A.I.R. plan would not be see a five percent increase in their taxes because of it.

   "The settlement brings closure. It means that Cal-Mum residents who live in Riga, Wheatland and Chili will continue to have their tax rate offset by a share of the Monroe County sales tax," Superintendent of School David V. Dinolfo commented.

   Avon Central School Business Administrator Kristen Murphy says the district built its 2008-09 budget without including any revenue from Monroe County sales tax.  The settlement restores approximately $9,000 to the Avon school district.