ALBANY — The Dougherty County School System may have to deal with a $5.5 million tighter budget next year and repay another $5.5 million to taxpayers who have already been taxed if a lawsuit against property tax revaluations is successful, system officials said during their finance committee meeting Thursday.

Also, the school system’s students could face increased meal prices in fiscal year 2009 because of increasing food costs for the system, Director of Business and Finance Robert Lloyd said.

Because gas prices are driving up food prices and federal funds for child nutrition are limited, the only variable the school system has in is food prices charged to students, he said.

Concerning the property tax revaluation appeal, Lloyd told Finance Committee members that the system may have to account for about $11 million if a lawsuit filed on behalf of Dougherty taxpayers is successful.

“(That’s) the absolute worst-case scenario,” School Superintendent Sally Whatley said, “but we have to be prepared for that.”

“If that appeal is successful,” Lloyd told the committee members, “(we’ll have) $5.5 million in taxes we’ve taxed that we have to pay back.”

The system would also have to deal with a $5.5 million tighter budget for fiscal year 2009, which starts July 1, if the appeal is successful, he said.

Both Whatley and Finance Committee member Richard Anson pointed out that it would be a long process, though, before the board finds out the outcome of the appeal.

“It’s going to be a challenge getting ready for this possible reduction in tax revenues coming in,” Anson said.

“It is, but we don’t have any other choice,” Whatley agreed.

The property tax revaluations were originally estimated to increase the school system’s coffers by about 20 percent, but DCSS officials planned for a 17 percent increase, Lloyd said.

That was a wise decision, he said, because the revaluations didn’t quite increase the budget by the 17 percent, and the school system faces only a $100,000 shortfall for the current fiscal year instead of a larger one.

Lloyd also noted that a 2.5 percent pay raise approved by Gov. Sonny Perdue recently for all certified staff, bus drivers and child nutrition workers would also have to worked into the FY ’09 budget. The state allotment for the raises will not provide enough to fund increases for all affected Dougherty County employees, he pointed out.

Another issue the committee must consider in its next budget is the rising cost of gas, Lloyd said.

The board may have to set conditions in the budget in case gas prices get too high, such as limiting field trips, he said.

“We have to build into the budget where we think it will go and what we will do,” he said.

Lloyd said he wanted to present a tentative budget by June 9 and have a budget approved by June 30. Finance Committee members scheduled additional meetings for 8:30 a.m. May 29 and June 5.