The Jim Thorpe Area School Board determined not to raise property taxes during Wednesday night’s school board meeting.

A motion was made to approve the final 2021-22 budget, and four tax options were presented to the board by business manager Ken Marx.

“Option one is based on my recommendation - is to have a 1-mill tax increase. At the end of the school year, the budgeted fund balance would be $7,020,000,” Marx said.

The second option was a half-mill increase with a fund balance of $6.7 million. Option three included a quarter-mill increase and ending balance of $6.5 million.

The fourth option was a zero-mill increase and fund balance of $6,399,000.

A motion was made to vote on Option 4 - to not raise taxes.

After a 6-2 vote, with one absent, the vote for a zero-mill tax increase was passed.

However, most of the board agreed that budget and unnecessary spending is a gigantic issue.

“I would just like to say, for 2021-22, we need to get our spending under control,” said board secretary Cindy Lesisko-Henning. “We have a $50 million budget. Fifty million.

“Lehighton has a 43 and I believe Palmerton has a 35. Our spending is crazy. We need to get a handle on it.”

Lesisko-Henning mentioned that since the summer, Towamensing Trails had 100 residential building permits.

“That doesn’t give us an envelope to open up and say here’s all of this extra money. We need to get it under control. We owe it to our taxpayers, and we owe it to the students to give them the best education to what we have. I challenge every administrator and every teacher to look at ways to save money.”

Board President Scott Pompa noted that in 10 years’ time, the budget has increased by $15 million.

“Which tells me spending is out of control,” Pompa said. “That is the reason I am voting no (increase). Before we turn around and say to the taxpayers, you are on the hook for this, we need to find a way to control the spending - and the spending is out of control.”

Board member Gerald Strubinger asked Pompa if he knows where the budget has been impacted.

“I know where it’s been impacted,” Pompa said. “We know that 70% of it is salaries and benefits. … I don’t have a problem turning around and increasing taxes, but I will not do that until we have really nailed down the spending and stopped the frivolous spending.”

Paul Montemuro, board member, said that neighboring districts have less money, but better accommodations.

“There’s no way that I would vote for any type of increase. When you have a district right next to us that has more kids, more everything. Nicer facilities, the whole nine - and they are $7 million under us, we are doing something drastically wrong,” Montemuro said.

“The bottom line is, we shouldn’t penalize the residents and the taxpayers for the incompetence. We’re going to have to sit down, and a lot of things are going to have to be cut. And not cut toward education - cut on the wasteful spending.”

Despite the spending problems, Pompa said he believes they’re on the right path and noted there have been positive discussions in budget meetings.

“Some great ideas have been coming out of this board with the cooperation of (superintendent) Mr. Rushefski. I believe we have some plans in place where we’re going to see over the course of the next year or two, some savings.”