BEMUS POINT, N.Y. (WKBW) — Bemus Point voters have spoken, rejecting a vote that would have cleared the way for their school district to purchase two electric school buses for a reduced cost.
The Bemus Point Central School District held a vote to take out a bond anticipation note (essentially, a loan from taxpayers instead of a bank) to pay for two electric school buses.
More than three-quarters of the cost was already covered by government aid, this vote was to cover the remaining 25% of the cost at no tax increase.
I spoke to Superintendent Joseph Reyda earlier this month about the purchase and he said “We’re ahead of the curve because we were a surprise recipient of that EPA rebate award.” You can watch our previous report below and read more here.
On Thursday, Superintendent Reyda shared the results of the vote, the margin of difference, just 11 ballots.
“The fact that it did not pass by the sliver-est of chances, that is difficult to accept.” Reyda said. “We were disappointed. We felt that we had put out a message to the community that this was an opportunity, a rare opportunity in this district, and we wanted to take advantage of it.”
This vote got the attention of state senator George Borrello, he feels this result is not surprising.
“Most school budgets pass overwhelmingly, and most of the time, you don’t get this type of push back against something, so this tells me the people of New York State are not ready for this,” Borrello said.
Borrello himself has sponsored a senate bill to end the state’s electric school bus mandate.
Current law requires any school bus purchased after 2027 to be electric, and the entire fleet converted by 2035.
“We have to start buying these buses eventually, and this was a way for us to get the first two essentially for free,” Reyda said.
“I think they need to join forces with other school districts across this state and go to the governor and say ‘this is unworkable,’” Borrello said.
As for the money awarded to the school, which can only be used for the purchase of exactly two electric buses and chargers, Reyda told me they have two options left:
- Give the grants back
- Ask for an extension and hold another vote
Reyda told me a final decision has not been made yet. Senator Borrello’s bill remains in committee.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which issued the district some of these grants shared this statement:
The EPA is committed to supporting school districts in their efforts to upgrade their bus fleets to cleaner, more efficient models through the Clean School Bus Program. We understand the challenges that can arise in securing additional funding and the impact this can have on project timelines.
The EPA is currently accepting extension requests and granting extensions on a case-by-case basis. Extensions of up to 60 days are being approved, and schools may apply for additional extensions after the initial 60-day period. If the Bemus Point Central School District is unable to use the allocated funds for the intended purpose of purchasing new buses, the funds will be returned to the Clean School Bus funding pool for future rounds of funding.
Each situation is unique, and the EPA is dedicated to finding solutions that best serve the needs of the community while ensuring the effective use of federal funds.
