AUBURN - The Auburn Enlarged School District will see a 6.18 percent increase in the district tax levy, but that will not necessarily mean an increase in the tax rate.

On Tuesday, the Board of Education unanimously passed the 2007-2008 tax levy of $25,210,090, an increase from last year's $23,742,357. About $520,000 is linked to the value of a payment in lieu of taxes agreement that will transfer to the tax roll.

The increase in the levy will translate to a decrease in the full value tax rate from last year's $18.04 per $1000 to $17.87, according to Marianne O'Connor, the district's business administrator.

While Auburn's tax will be $17.87 per $1000 of assessed value, as the city's equalization rate is at 100 percent, the rates for Aurelius, Fleming, Owasco and Sennett will reflect a decline in the equalization rates. Aurelius residents will be taxed on the assessed value at $18.23,

Fleming $43.04, Owasco $21.53 and Sennett $20.31.

Additionally, residents will see an expansion of the New York State's School Tax Relief Program, a property tax rebate program and a partial property tax exemption from school taxes. The exemption is available for all owner-occupied, primary

residents while the Enhanced STAR is available for senior citizens. The rebates are determined by income using the 2005 data. For people whose income is up to $90,000, the basic STAR rebate for Auburn residents will be $357.92; Fleming, $408.25; Owasco, $434.78; and Sennett, $368.56, according to O'Connor. Application for the STAR rebate is due on Nov. 30.

In other news:

*Kent Brandstetter, Auburn's representative and president of the Board of Cooperative Educational Services Board of Education, updated the board on the BOCES superintendent search process. Gary Gilchrist, the current superintendent, will be retiring at the end of the year.

The deadline for applications is Friday, Aug. 17, and on Sept. 6, the board will be reviewing the applications, which includes a possible in-house candidate, superintendents from the surrounding school districts, and other candidates, Brandstetter said. By Sept. 21, the board plans on narrowing their list to three candidates, and on Sept. 25, 26 and 27, the New York Commissioner of Education - who is required to approve BOCES superintendents - will interview the candidates. By Oct. 12, the board is hoping to conduct the final interviews and offer the position by Nov. 2 with appointment on Nov. 16. The new superintendent would officially start on Jan. 1, 2008.

“We want the right personality, the right fit, and - like in Auburn - the right man,” he said.

Brandstetter also invited the board to the BOCES Open House on Sept. 25 for a tour of the new facility in Aurelius and an overview of the programs the campus will offer.

*Fred Marciano, clerk of the Department of Works, gave an update on the physical improvements of East Middle School and Auburn High School, which were part of a $13.4 million plan to upgrade building facilities in the district.

For East Middle School, the roofing project has been completed. Additionally, construction crews were able to break through the walls in the entrance foyer and found the original structural design of the school. The original structure was refurbished and is ready for the start of school on Sept. 5.

In the high school, the roofing project is nearly complete with only the gymnasium remaining, Marciano said. Skylights in the gymnasium have yet to be installed, but Marciano is expecting that work to be completed by the first or second week of September. Also, by this Friday, 240 windows will have been installed with 50 left to do, he said. The district is replacing single pane windows from the 1970s with modern insulated triple pane windows.

“This is our community investment in the future for our kids,” said David Lansford, board president.

*The next board meeting will be on Aug. 28 at the Harriet Tubman Administration Building at 7 p.m.

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239.