The 2009-10 proposed budget and tax levy for the Gibraltar School District were adopted at the annual meeting Monday.

The proposed tax levy for this school year is $10,027,464, of which about $9.129 million is for school operations and $897,863 is to pay down the school district's debt.

Gibraltar saw about a 4 percent increase in its evaluation this year - the total value of all property in the district is about $3.8 billion. This translates to a property tax rate for school purposes of about $2.63 per $1,000 of equalized value, which amounts to a tax increase of about $6.34 for every $100,000 a property is worth.

In addition to approving the school budget and levy, those who attended the meeting also set salaries for School Board members — $1,800 for the year — and authorized the school district to reimburse School Board members for their real, out-of-district expenses.

The School Board will approve this district's proposed budget and tax levy after the annual valuation statements of the seven towns and villages in the district are received in October. In November, the official budget report will be filed with the Department of Public Instruction.

About 18 people attended the annual meeting, including the seven members of the Gibraltar School Board. The elected chairman of the meeting was School Board President Fredrik Anderson.

"The annual meeting gives me a chance to talk with the people present at the meeting about how money in the district is used and walk through the various component of the budget," said Superintendent Stephen Seyfer.

Also at the meeting, attendees: