Taxpayers who live in the Palmerton Area School District could see a 1.36-mill increase in their property tax rates for the 2015-16 school year.

At least, that was the general consensus of school board members on the heels of a public budget meeting held Tuesday in the high school auditorium.Of the eight school directors in attendance, all but one said they were in favor of approving a 1.36-mill increase for next year's spending plan.If passed, that would mean that a person with a home valued at $100,000, which would be assessed at $50,000, would pay $68 more in property taxes to the district next year.Business manager Matthew Sawarynski reviewed the budget with board members at the sparsely attended meeting.Sawarynski noted that Gov. Tom Wolf's 2015-16 proposed budget calls for a $526,514 increase in special education and basic education funding.If that happens, Sawarynski said the district would still be faced with a $1.1 million deficit, which would take into account no tax increase.If the board were to approve a 1-mill increase, he said the district would be faced with a $798,162 deficit. A 1-mill increase would add $300,000 to local revenue, Sawarynski said.With a 1.36-mill increase, the district would be faced with a $693,484 deficit, he said.A 1.36-mill increase would add $400,000 to local revenue, Sawarynski said.Board President Tammy Recker then asked fellow board members for direction.All but director Charles Gildner said they favored a 1.36-mill increase. Gildner said he was comfortable with a 1-mill increase.As a result, it was decided that next year's proposed budget should be listed with a 1.36-mill increase on this month's school board agenda.If the board were to approve next year's spending plan with a 1.36-mill increase, it would raise the district's millage rate from 52.44 to 53.80 mills.The board is expected to vote on the proposed final budget when it meets at 6:30 p.m. May 19.Final adoption of the budget would then be scheduled to occur June 16.In June, the board approved this year's budget with a 1.94 percent increase in the property tax rate.The board, after three separate votes, had adopted the 2014-15 budget with a 1-mill increase.That budget called for a $28.6 million spending plan that raised the millage rate from 51.44 mills to 52.44 mills, and represented a $435,816 increase over the 2013-14 budget.