Lamesa Independent School District board members Thursday cut the tax rate by 16-cents and approved an $18.5 million budget that comes with a $636,451 deficit amid future plans to purchase three new buses to replace an aging fleet.School Superintendent David Ritchey blamed the deficit on a combination of inflation and the Texas Legislation’s inaction on distributing surplus funding.“If we were not buying three buses, there’s a chance we would not have a deficit, but I wanted to make sure they were in there (reflected in the budget),” Ritchey said Friday.State lawmakers are expected to conduct a special session in October.