Taxpayers in the Weedsport Central School District can expect to see a 5.5 percent increase in school taxes if the new budget is approved by voters May 20.

The board of education has adopted the 2008-09 proposed school budget totaling $17,054,877.

The district is increasing the overall budget $747,862 from last year's numbers of $16,307,015, Business Administrator Philip Grome said.

During the budget vote last May, taxpayers also authorized a tax levy increase of 5.5 percent, Grome said.

However, by the summer the levy increase was lowered to 4.15 percent due to shifts in assessments.

The added money in the budget will fund employee benefits - health insurance costs have increased 10.5 percent - fuel costs and contractual increases.

There will be no change to any instructional program funding.

“It's a tight budget year and we're trying to be sensitive of the burden on the taxpayers,” Grome said.

Local impact is based upon home assessments and eligibility for STAR, 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.

Based upon current estimates, the local impact for a $100,000 home with no STAR rebate is an increase of $116 from last year. For a house with Basic STAR, an increase of $81.20, and for Enhanced STAR, an increase of $50.11.