Cape residents in for school tax savings

Every penny counts. And when it comes to tax bills, even a 3-cent decrease in the tax rate as proposed in the Cape Henlopen School District fiscal year 2014 budget, makes a difference.

The tax rate decrease is the result of a reduction in the tuition, debt service and match taxes, said Oliver Gumbs, director of business operations.

The total budget is $92.4 million, an increase from the $89.6 million budget last year. Gumbs said the budget increase is a result of including tuition-based programs in the calculations.

"The associated revenue for those programs make up for the difference," he said.

Reserve levels are similar to last year, and Gumbs said he paid special attention to the technology reserve account.

"I want to continue to bolster the technology reserve," he said.

Under the proposed tax rate, a home assessed at $100,000 would see a $30 savings on the annual school tax bill for a total of $2,947.

The school board will approve the preliminary budget at a future meeting.