With another year of projects, maintenance and upkeep behind Fountain Hills Unified School District, Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Dr. Robert Allen conducted a bond and capital outlay override report for fiscal year 2015-16 during the Oct. 26 Governing Board meeting.

Allen explained that the District will need to reassess it needs and categorization of expenditures moving forward but, otherwise, the evening’s presentation was meant to give those in attendance an idea of how much has been spent on bond and capital projects this past year, as well as how much remains in the coffers.

While capital expenditures shift on an annual basis, bond projects are conducted using monies obtained through the sale of voter-approved bonds. Allen said there are about 18 months remaining to spend the balance of current bond monies.

As a broad overview, total capital expenditures for the past year were $516,494, with 2014-15 bond expenditures totaling 1,592,571 for the past fiscal year.

Capital

Allen broke capital expenditures down into broad categories, matching those outlined by the district the year prior.

In most cases, the 2016 expenditures have been a bit below estimated costs, though those expenditures will likely level out as projects and purchases continue.

In the area of tech upgrades, including student computers and instructional software, FY16 expenditures clock in at $191,732. Renovations and improvements for existing facilities only measured out to $32,295 this past fiscal year, with textbooks and online resources at about $251,000.

A total of $62,000 were estimated for student transportation vans but, as they were not purchased at the time of the report, they are currently listed as a $0 expense.

Furniture and equipment costs were $36,248 this past year, with a subtotal of $511,019 for non-administrative needs.

On the administrative side, $5,457 have gone toward technology, equipment and renovations, making a total FY16 expense of $516,494 out of an estimated $750,000.

Bonds

As for bond monies, the price tags are quite a bit larger in this area, broken down into FY16 and FY15 expenditures.

Bond monies cover areas such as safety and security upgrades, as well as renovations and improvements, transportation vehicles, athletic facilities, etc.

This is one of the areas where Dr. Allen explained work needs to be done on deciding how projects are classified in order to improve future estimations. He used lighting as an example, saying that whether those upgrades are considered safety and security or standard renovations needs to be nailed down.

With $8 million total in bond monies, $3,705,540 were spent in FY15 with another $1,592,572 spent in FY16. That leaves a balance of about $2.2 million to spend in the next 18 months.

Future

Looking ahead, Allen made several recommendations for bond expenditures in 2016-17.

He recommended $500,000 be budgeted each for safety and security, renovations and additions and improvements to sites and athletic facilities. Another $250,000 was recommended for District vehicles.

On the administrative side, Allen is recommending another $250,000 be utilized for safety and security upgrades, coming out to the expected $2 million in remaining bond funds.

The capital override continues through 2022, with FHUSD receiving $750,000 per year or a minimum of 10 percent of the Revenue Control Limit. The 2013 bond election funds are available through May of 2018 and the district must spend at least 85 percent of funds available.