The Town of Sweden will hold a public hearing on October 23 regarding its proposed 2002 budget. The hearing will take place at 7 p.m. at the town hall, 18 State Street.

The proposal increases spending by about $50,000 from $2,944,857 in 2001 to $2,995,143 in 2002. That represents about a two percent increase in spending. The town has budgeted three percent raises for employees and a 15 percent increase in health insurance costs.

The largest budgetary increase came in debt service - $108,000 in interest for borrowings to develop the town's new Redman Road park. The reason the impact on the budget wasn't greater, is that in 2001, the budget contained $75,000 for park development. That item was removed as park development and will be paid for from the capital bond approved last spring.

Basic categories of spending under the proposal are: general government, $981,144; public safety, $85,625; transportation, $870,542; economic assistance, $170,150; culture and recreation, $181,614; home and community, $145, 050; employee benefits, $261,959; and debt service, $299,059. The special improvement districts (lighting, sewer, etc.) will be assessed an additional total of $746,084.

Elected officials' salaries are as follows:

On the revenue side, the town has predicted that mortgage and sales tax tax revenues and state aid will remain at the same levels as 2001. The town's total tax base has increased by about 5.5 percent this year; some of the increase is attributable to new construction, some to the town wide reassessment. Less fund balance will be expended under the proposal than had been used in 2001.

The two percent increase in spending translates to a larger increase in property tax rates. Sweden residents outside the Village of Brockport will pay about 6.5 percent more in taxes or $21 on a $100,000 home. Village residents will pay 6.9 percent more or about $12 on a $100,000 home.

Tax rates may confuse property owners - it will be the first town tax bill using the new full assessment values. The proposed rate for Sweden residents outside the Village of Brockport will be $3.43 per thousand of assessed valuation; in the village the rate will be $1.86 per thousand. If full value assessment had been used in the current year calculations the 2001 rate would have been $3.21 per thousand for the town outside the Village of Brockport; $1.74 per thousand in the village.

The tax rate increase is the largest since 1995. In 1996 and 1997 the tax rate was flat; in 1998 and 1999 the rate dropped; in 2000 the tax rate remained steady, and last year in 2001, the rate increased two percent.

"We knew the budget would go up because of the park borrowings," said Supervisor Buddy Lester. "We were conservative in our predictions of revenues. We think it's a good budget."