AUBURN – A proposal to return $475,000 in property tax revenues trimmed from the school budget earlier might actually make things more difficult now, according to school officials.

School Superintendent Tom Morrill told City Councilors on Thursday that the department’s proposed budget comes in just about right according to the state’s revenue requirements. The budget calls for $17.9 million in state money and $15 million in property tax revenues, a $475,00 reduction compared the 2008 budgeted property tax revenues.

According to Morrill, Auburn’s budget comes in $6,218 below the state’s education subsidy requirement. School officials are expected to vote on that budget Wednesday, and city councilors will vote on it Thursday. If both approve, it will go to Auburn voters on May 6.

Councilor Bruce Bickford proposed giving the schools the $475,000 in property taxes. Councilors had instructed the schools to trim that money, when they assumed the state would give Auburn additional money.

“Giving that back would allow you to have flat property taxes, and that’s acceptable,” Bickford said.

But Morrill and School Committee Chairman David Das said that money would put the school’s budget over the state subsidy requirement.

“And that triggers a whole host of other requirements,” Das said. “Instead of a simple question next month when we go to the ballot, we’ll have to include other questions explaining why we’re over.”

Instead, Das said the school’s budget calls for letting the department keep $460,000 from the sale of city property on Mount Auburn Avenue, the former home to a day care center and the Regional Educational Treatment Center.

Councilor Dan Herrick argued against that, saying he preferred using that money to reduce property taxes.

“On the school side, on the city side, everybody is going to have to start tightening their belts,” he said.

Councilor Ron Potvin urged councilors to support the school’s budget. It came from hard work and compromise and does reduce property taxes.

“I embrace this proposal on the merit that it makes us a really good city, to avoid the nastiness of widespread, across the board layoffs,” Potvin said.