Taxes are going up this year for Cocalico School District residents. Now, district officials fear the cost of collecting them may rise, too.

The Cocalico School Board approved a nearly 5 percent tax increase in June. And at its Aug. 17 meeting, the board discussed a new "Tax Collection Committee" to oversee countywide tax collections.

Secretary Sherri Stull is the district's voting member to the current Lancaster County Tax Collection Bureau. She said the change is mandated by the Pennsylvania Legislature's Act 32 to make tax collection uniform statewide.

Stull said state officials would have recognized LCTCB as the county taxing authority if a majority of its members — 17 school districts and 66 municipalities — approved, but "we didn't get a majority" in a recent vote.

Under Act 32, school districts, townships, boroughs and cities that impose an earned income tax must appoint one delegate and one or more alternate delegates to a new committee.

"We wanted to avoid that because LCTCB was working," Stull said. "You don't fix something that's not broken. It's a shame, because it's going to cost us a lot more money now."

Superintendent Bruce Sensenig agreed.

"We know that we'll increase costs under Act 32," Sensenig said.

The board elected Stull as voting delegate and Treasurer John Lorah as alternate.

In another matter, Sensenig updated the board on infrastructure maintenance. He said the stadium press box, damaged in a March tornado, is "coming together nicely." The board approved $34,868 for architectural services, inspection, materials and labor for that project.

Tennis court resurfacing cost $18,800. Upgrades to increase Internet bandwidth at Adamstown and Reamstown elementary schools cost $609, and $83,507 went to Sage Technology Solutions for new telephones.

Passed in the same motion, with no discussion, was $6,427 to Chambers & Associates Inc. for a district feasibility study/school district master plan. In April, when the board approved a contract with Chambers for up to $22,000, Sensenig said the study does not mean the district plans to build, but "we want to get the whole picture, so we can make good decisions."

The board also heard from Transportation Director David Lutz on "internal changes" to his fleet of 41 buses and staff of 61 drivers, substitutes and aides.

A non-public school route and a public school route were eliminated, while a new Intermediate Unit route was added. Lutz said the state audited drivers' credentials and background checks, and "we went through with flying colors."

Sensenig thanked Lutz for "a nice job. It's a real feat to get every kid to the right place at the right time."

Other officials also reported on what they did during the summer vacation.

Reamstown worked on crisis response teams, fire drills, severe weather alerts and keeping students safe. Reamstown, Denver and Schoeneck all focused on character-building education.

Adamstown Principal Nathan Van Deusen said PSSA scores show "things are going well. Kids are getting over a year's growth per year."

Middle school Principal Stephen Melnyk called summer math and reading programs "successful (but) there was not as big a turnout as we'd like." He thanked the board for replacing the "tin cans and string" phone system.

At the high school, Chris Irvine said "summer went so fast" as staff revamped teacher handbooks and discipline policies, and conducted teacher computer training.

Assistant to the Superintendent David Davies reported on summer enrichment classes. Davies said library, musical instrument, tennis and weight training programs were all successful.

Sensenig said the activities came in within budget, thanks in part to parent organizations who helped with programs the district did not fund.

In a sign of the economic situation, the board heard a report that free and reduced-price lunch applications are "flying through the door."