NOTICE OF ANNUAL VOTE

PANAMA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOTICE is hereby given that the public hearing for the qualified voters of the Panama Central School District (the “District”) on the 2024-2025 budget will be held in the Auditorium of the Panama Central School, 41 North Street, Panama, New York on Monday, May 13, 2024 at 6:00 PM.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the annual meeting and vote of the qualified voters of the District will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 between the hours of 12:00 PM and 8:00 PM, prevailing time, in the North Gym lobby of the Panama Central School for the purposes of voting by machine to elect one (1) member of the Board of Education of the District, voting on the budget of the District for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, and transacting such other business as is authorized by law.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required for the 2024-2025 fiscal year for school purposes, exclusive of public monies, may be obtained by any resident of the District during the fourteen days immediately preceding, and the day of, the annual vote (May 21, 2024) except Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, at Panama Central School between the hours of 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM, and at the Ashville Free Library during its business hours.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that voting at the annual meeting and vote will consist of the Board election, voting on the following budget proposition, and voting on any other propositions authorized by law and the rules of the Board to be voted on at such time:

PROPOSITION NO. 1
(2024-2025 Budget)

Shall the following resolution be adopted, to wit:

RESOLVED, that the budget for the Panama Central School District (the “District”) for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2024 and ending June 30, 2025, as presented by the Board of Education of the District, is hereby approved and adopted and the required funds therefore are hereby appropriated and the necessary real property taxes required shall be raised by a tax on the taxable property in the District, to be levied and collected as required by law.

PROPOSITION NO. 2
Public Library Funding

Shall the following resolution be adopted, to wit:

RESOLVED, that pursuant to New York State Education Law Section 259, the Board of Education of the Panama Central School District is authorized to levy and collect an annual tax, year after year, separate and apart from the annual school district budget, in the amount of $58,000, which shall be paid to the Ashville Library for the support and maintenance of the library; with this appropriated amount to be the annual appropriation until thereafter modified by a future vote of the electors of the Panama Central School District.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that all candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education shall be nominated by petition.  Each petition shall be directed to the District Clerk, shall be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the District, shall state the residence of each signer, and shall state the name and residence of the candidate.  Each petition must be filed in the office of the District Clerk between the hours of 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM, no later than Monday, April 22, 2024. 

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the election of members of the Board shall be held to fill one (1) at-large position on the Board.  The candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected to five-year term of office, commencing July 1, 2024 and expiring June 30, 2029, to fill the vacancy created by the expiration, on June 30, 2024, of the term of Carrie Munsee.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that applications for early mail and absentee ballots may be obtained at the office of the District Clerk between the hours of 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM, prevailing time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.  Completed applications must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or on the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter.  Early Mail and Absentee ballots must be received at the office of the District Clerk not later than 5:00 PM prevailing time on the day of the annual meeting and vote (May 21, 2024).  A list of all persons to whom early mail and absentee ballots shall have been issued will be available to qualified voters for inspection in the office of the District Clerk, between the hours of 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM, prevailing time, until the day set for voting, except for Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and said list will be posted at the polling place at the election.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that military voters who are qualified voters of the District may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application from the District Clerk between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, prevailing time, Monday through Friday.  For a military voter to be issued a military ballot, the District Clerk must have received a valid ballot application no later than 5:00 PM on April 25, 2024.  In a request for a military ballot application or ballot, the military voter may indicate their preference for receiving the application or ballot by mail, facsimile, or electronic mail.

AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that the qualified voters of the District shall be entitled to vote at said annual meeting and election.  A qualified voter is one who is (1) a citizen of the United States of America, (2) eighteen (18) years of age or older, (3) resident within the District for a period of thirty (30) days next preceding the annual meeting and election and (4) not otherwise disqualified from voting in school district elections.  The District may require all persons offering to vote at the annual meeting and election to provide one form of proof of residency pursuant to Education Law Section 2018-c.  Such form may include a driver’s license, a non-driver identification card, a utility bill or a voter registration card, upon offer of proof of residency the District may also require all persons offering to vote to provide their signatures, printed names and addresses.

Genevieve Jordan

District Clerk

Panama Central School District