Public hearing and annual meeting for Barker Central School District budget and elections.

Notice of Annual Meeting, Budget Vote, and Election BARKER CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT TOWN(s) OF SOMERSET, HARTLAND, NEWFANE, RIDGEWAY, YATES, AND THE VILLAGE OF BARKER, COUNTY(s) OF NIAGARA AND ORLEANS NEW YORK NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a public hearing of the qualified voters of the Barker Central School District for the presentation of the budget will be held in the Herbert F. Ludwig Fine Arts Hall building in said District scheduled for May 11, 2026 at 6:30 PM. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the annual meeting of the qualified voters of the Barker Central School District will be held at the Barker Central School on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, said vote and election will be held between the hours of 12:00 PM and 8:00 PM, in the Barker Central School, at which time the polls will be opened for voting by paper ballot upon the following items: PROPOSITION NO. 1 - Adoption of Annual Budget To adopt the annual budget of $22,916,892 for the Barker Central School District, Niagara County, New York, for the fiscal year 2026-2027 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District. PROPOSITION NO. 2 - Election of Board Members To elect two (2) members of the Board for a 3-year term commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring on June 30, 2029, to succeed Emily Gow and John Sweeney, Jr., whose terms expire on June 30, 2026. PROPOSITION NO. 3 - Library Annual Budget To adopt the funding for the Barker Public Library, which is raised by annual levy of a tax upon the taxable real property within the Barker Central School District and increase the library budget from $98,834.00 to $108,717.40. This is an increase of $9,883.40. PROPOSITION NO. 4 - Library Trustee Election To elect one Trustee to the Barker Public Library Board for a 5-year term commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2031 to succeed Cynthia Harris. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required to fund the School District's budget for 2026-2027, exclusive of public monies, may be obtained by any resident of the District during business hours on each day other than Saturday, Sunday or holiday during the 14 days preceding the annual meeting and election and on the day of the election or after 8:00 AM , May 5, 2025 in the offices of the Business Office, District Office, schoolhouse and school website. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, nominating petitions for candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education shall be provided to the District Clerk of said School District at her office in the Barker Central School, between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM not later than 30 days before the election, Monday, April 20, 2026, by 5:00 PM and shall be signed by at least 25 voters of the District and state the name and residence of the candidate and meet all requirements. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters or a spouse, parent, child or dependent of a voter as described above, accompanying or being with such voter who are qualified voters of the School District may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application from the District Clerk in writing at 1628 Quaker Road, Barker, NY 14012, or at 716-795-3110 or meadie@barkercsd.net as soon as possible, as military ballots must be transmitted by the District by April 24, 2026. The District Clerk must then receive the military voter's military ballot by mail or in person not later than 5:00 PM on May 19, 2026. In a request for a military ballot application or ballot, the military voter may indicate his/her preference for receiving the application or ballot by mail, facsimile transmission, or electronic mail. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that applications for early mail ballots and absentee ballots may be obtained at the office of the District Clerk, 1628 Quaker Road, Barker, NY 14012, commencing 30 days prior to the election between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, 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 issued to the voter in person. Early mail and absentee ballots must be received by the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 PM on the day of the election, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. A challenge to an early voting ballot may not be made on the basis that the voter should have applied for an absentee ballot. A list of persons to whom early mail and absentee ballots are issued will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District upon request on the day of the election and on each of the 5 days preceding the election except Sundays by contacting the District Clerk. Any qualified voter may object to the voting of an early mail or absentee ballot upon appropriate grounds for making his/her challenge and the reasons therefore known to the Inspector of Elections before the close of the polls. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the qualified voters of the School District shall be entitled to vote at said annual vote and election. A qualified voter is one who is: (1) a citizen of the United States of America, (2) eighteen years of age or older, and (3) a resident within the School District for a period of thirty (30) days next preceding the annual vote and election. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with §2035 and 2008 of the Education Law, any referenda or propositions to amend the budget, or otherwise to be submitted for voting at said election, signed by twenty-five (25) qualified voters, or five (5%) percent of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election, whichever is greater, must be filed with the Barker Central School Board of Education at the office of the District Clerk on or before April 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM; must be typed or printed in English, must be directed to the District Clerk of the School District. However, the School Board will not entertain any petition to place before the voters any proposition, the purpose of which is not within the powers of the voters to determine, or any proposition which fails to include a specific appropriation where the expenditure of monies is required by the proposition. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law requires the District to attach to its proposed budget an Exemption Report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value of the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted. In addition, said exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on the District's website. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, the deadlines and procedures stated herein may change as required by law or further state guidance. All District residents are encouraged to closely monitor the District's website for any updated information regarding the District?s annual meeting and vote. District Clerk: Mary H. Eadie Dated: April 3, 2026 School District: Barker Central School Town of Somerset, County of Niagara, New York L#3607114/3, 17, 5/1,15/2026