BETHLEHEM — Bethlehem’s $116.6 million budget for the 2025-26 school year was passed overwhelmingly by voters, who also re-elected school board incumbents John Walston and Robert Tietjen to three-year terms. 

The budget, which comes with a property tax hike of 1.1 percent, received 2,663 votes in favor and 840 against, for a 76 percent approval rate. 

Walston received 2,164 votes for school board and Tietjen received 1,897. Their challenger, newcomer Susan Barber, received 1,570, for a 55-45 split between her and Tietjen. 

Voters also approved a bus-purchase proposition (71 percent) and the establishment of a capital reserve fund (72 percent). 

While the budget features a relatively low tax increase — typically a welcome thing to both residents and board of education members — some on the board were wary about keeping taxes low this year when rising costs and an uncertain economy may mean steeper increases down the road. 

Board member Ewan McNay, who cast the sole dissenting vote against the budget when it was adopted by the board in April, argued for a tax increase of 2 percent so that fund balance could be preserved.

The budget pulls $715,241 from the district’s fund balance and reserves, though roughly $600,000 of that comes from a higher-than-anticipated payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or PILOT, from the Public Service Enterprise Group, a publicly traded energy company. 

“By spending it now, you actually give yourself less breathing room next year because you haven’t got that extra cushion,” he had said.

Several board members agreed with his point about using fund balance cautiously, but ultimately approved the budget. 

Under the 1.1-percent tax-levy increase, the current tax rate of $22.27 per $1,000 in assessed property value for Bethlehem residents will rise to $22.57, while the rate of $22.59 for New Scotland residents will drop to $22.22.