A handful of village residents attended a special meeting Monday, April 11 at the A.D. Oliver Middle School for the 2016-2017 budget public hearing. The proposed budget includes a General Fund increase of nearly $32,000 and a property tax increase of $7,139, but the tax rate will actually decrease by one penny to $11.87/$1,000 of assessed valuation.
Village Treasurer Daniel Hendricks presented the budget, which also includes an increase of $2,139 in the Water Fund Budget and an increase of $1,047 in the Sewer Fund Budget. Again, Hendricks said those increases of less than one percent will not result in a change in water or sewer rates.
“We can live with the budget without any rate increase,” he noted of the two funds.
The 2016-2017 tax levy is $2,651,216, an increase of .27 percent from the current budget, but under the state tax cap. The total budget is $5.17 million.
Staffing, including salary and benefits, makes up the most significant part of the budget – 73 percent – Hendricks said. The village currently has a total of 33 full time employees – including the Police Department and 26 part time employees. “There are no staffing changes proposed currently,” Hendricks said.
The mayor will receive $9,867/year and trustees $3,444/year under the proposed budget. That is the same as in the current budget, Hendricks said.
As part of staffing, employee benefits constitute $1.4 million of the proposed budget, Hendricks explained – particularly retirement and health insurance costs. Retirement is actually down 17 percent (police retirement is down 1.4 percent) in the 2016-17 proposed budget (Hendricks noted costs are tied to stock market performance), but health insurance costs are up 4.8 percent or $21,130.
Treasurer Hendricks provided information regarding budget trends, which show a nearly 40 percent increase in health insurance costs since the 2009-2010 budget and a 91 percent increase in retirement costs over the same period. State aid during the same time has stayed nearly flat, increasing only 4.5 percent.
Deputy Mayor Bill Andrews asked Hendricks about the impact of those increases on the tax levy. Hendricks said the increases in health insurance and retirement over the past seven years does account for the rise in the tax levy over that time.
“It was a great presentation,” Andrews told Hendricks, “you are doing a great job.”
Mayor Margaret Blackman thanked Hendricks for keeping the village under the tax cap, which she noted is a struggle, particularly with the negligible increases in state aid. “It has remained basically flat for a number of years,” the mayor said of state aid. She added that she has heard New York State is among the most stingy at “kicking tax money back” to local governments.
The Village Board will vote on the 2016-17 proposed budget at their next regular meeting, April 18. The new village fiscal year begins June 1.
