As expected, the Northampton Area School District Board of Directors approved a 2.99-percent tax hike for the 2017-18 general fund budget for Northampton Area School District.

But the big news is that Northampton Area High School athletes are “Cement Belt champions.”

NASD Athletic Director Shaun Murray displayed the championship belt, to be on display for the school year at NAHS, at the May 8 school board meeting when the administration and school directors honored student athletes.

NAHS Konkrete Kid athletes defeated Whitehall High School Zephyr athletes based on a point system in a series of varsity sports games in the inaugural competition, intended to be an annual event set up by Murray and Whitehall-Coplay School District Athletic Director Bob Hartman and sponsored by Keystone Cement Company.

The vote to approve the NASD budget was 8-1, with school Director Roy Maranki voting against approval. In a straw poll at the April 24 meeting, Maranki and board President David Gogel were the only two directors who favored a 2.5-percent increase, rather than a 2.99-percent increase, in district property taxes for the next school year. However, Gogel voted in favor of the 2.99-percent hike.

The board authorized the 2017-18 proposed general fund-athletic fund and food services budget with revenues and expenditures of general fund, $102,742,322; athletic fund, $212,034, and food services fund, $2,413,955.

The vote also authorized the administration to advertise and make the proposed budget available for public inspection. The budget will be available for review for 30 days.

NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph Kovalchik said the administration would present the final 2016-17 budget for a final vote by the board at the June 12 meeting. The school board next meets 6:30 p.m. May 22 in the administration building, 2014 Laubach Ave., Northampton.

While there was no discussion of the budget prior to the April 24 vote, school directors and the administration have been reviewing the budget at almost every board meeting since it was first presented at the Jan. 9 meeting.

NASD Business Administrator Terry Leh said, after the May 8 meeting, the proposed budget would be posted on the NASD website, nasdschools.org, and available at the administration building later this week.

When asked why he voted against the proposed budget, Maranki told a reporter for The Press after the meeting, “I have to look out for the seniors. Taxes are getting too much, not only for seniors but for working people. Taxpayers in our district work hard, and they deserve a break.”

The 2.99-percent increase would increase millage by 1.53 mills from the 2016-17 millage of 51.24 mills to 52.77 mills for the 2017-18 district general fund budget.

That’s under the state-mandated 3.1-percent tax increase ceiling for the district’s 2017-18 budget. The administration chose not to implement exceptions, approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for NASD, which Kovalchik announced at the March 27 meeting.

NASD also received PDE approval of exceptions in previous years, but in the seven years Kovalchik has been presenting the district budget, the administration has never implemented them. Reasons for exceptions typically include costs for special education and pensions.

The 2.99-percent tax hike would generate $1,648,066. That, plus the $3,604,294 from the district fund balance would close a 2017-18 budget deficit of $5,252,360.

Based on the NASD 2016 average assessment of $58,094, which comprises 60 percent of district residences, the 2016-17 property tax bill would increase from $2,976.74 to $3,065.62, or $88.88 more annually, $7.41 more monthly and $1.71 more weekly.