Disagreement over the size of a tax increase between the Upper Perkiomen School Board members prevented them from ratifying the district's proposed 2016-17 budget.

                During the June 9 public meeting, they rejected a motion on the proposed $57.730 million budget with a tax increase of 2.9 mills.  Officials cast additional votes on rate increases varying from 1.5 mills to 2.9 mills. None of them passed.

                A motion to approve a proposal calling for a two millage increase never received a second. The vote on a motion to table the discussion on the budget also failed. Eventually, board President John Gehman ended the discussion and announced that the issue would be placed in the board's June 23 workshop meeting agenda.

                State law requires the board to approve a budget for the upcoming school year by the end of June, according to Superintendent Alexis McGloin.

                Gehman said he felt confident the board would approve the budget before the deadline.

"This board always, eventually, arrives at a resolution," he said after adjourning the public portion of the meeting. "I was expecting an approval of something. But it's not unusual for this board to go through multiple scenarios."

                Sandra Kassel, the district's business administrator, made a brief presentation of the draft budget, approved earlier this month, during the recent meeting.

                The draft budget includes a proposed rate of 25.9622 mills, which accounts for a 3.56 percent tax increase that would require the district's median property owner in Montgomery County to pay an additional $128.62 in property taxes. Similarly, the median property owner in the Berks County portion of the district would have to come up with $100.80 more.

                The proposed tax increase would generate an additional $1.5 million in revenue, according to Kassel. She has also said the budget proposal requires the transfer of approximately $1.5 million from the general fund to help balance it.

                Prior to the initial budget vote, Vice President Raeann Hofkin, one of two board members who voted against approving the draft budget one month earlier, read two letters she received from residents opposed to another property tax increase.

                One of the letters, from Andrea Hopkins, explained the joy of paying off ones mortgage and the peril she would feel from a tax increase. "I'm worried that I am going to lose what I worked so hard to gain," Hofkin said.  The letter asks that the board stay on or below its budget.

                The initial vote, for a budget with a 2.9 tax millage increase, failed 6-3. John Farris, Wilfred Pike, III and Joan Smith voted for the motion.

                Then the members attempted to approve a budget with multiple lower tax rates, which would require transferring more money from the general fund.

A motion to approve a 1.5 mills increase, which would require the transfer of $1.928 million, received only three affirmative votes. Three additional proposals to raise taxes at rates below 2.9 mills suffered a similar fate.

                Kassel asked board members to consider the consequences of utilizing larger amounts of the district's reserves. She said the reduction of spending could adversely affect the students in terms of providing services in curriculum and technology.

                "Those are dollars we are going to need in the future," Kassel said during the meeting.

                Jonathan Warren said he thought the proper rate for a tax increase is somewhere between 1.75 mills and 2.25 mills.  "I want to help the members of this community," he said. "I think we can pull our belt a little bit tighter."