Ronan bus depreciation process scrutinized
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RONAN — Taxpayers will fork out 20 percent less in taxes this year to pay for Ronan School District’s bus depreciation fund than was paid last year, but in an Aug. 11 board meeting Lake County Superintendent of Schools Michelle Wood was still critical of the burden the cost put on the taxpayer.
School board members agreed to reevaluate the district’s bus depreciation methods at a later date.
“I just think it is a lot of money,” Wood said. “… These are permissive levies, so the taxpayers pay them no matter what, and I would just like to understand it a little more.”
The 2014-15 budget calls for more than $500,000 to be levied or reserved to pay for new school buses in the next couple of years. Transportation director Rob Tougas explained that he intends to use the funds to purchase two new regular school buses, which cost approximately $86,000 each, and a handicap and activity bus that cost approximately $160,000 each. The fleet consists of 20 buses.
The district has a policy of taking maximum depreciation of the buses, and letting them operate within the fleet under a 7-year warranty. After the warranty expires the district trades the bus in and buys a new one. Maintenance costs often skyrocket once the warranties expire, Tougas explained to the board in previous meetings.
But Wood asked for a more in-depth cost analysis to see if running the buses longer might be a better idea to save taxpayers money.
“My car is 10 years old, 11 almost,” Wood said.
Tougas gave board members a preliminary cost breakdown from a bus company that advocates keeping the buses on the road for seven years, but Board Chairman Bob Cornwell said in the future he would like to see an individual breakdown of maintenance costs of each bus the district has in service to make more informed decisions.
“Along with seeing the buses themselves, we could get some more information on our depreciation schedule,” Cornwell said.
