Chili tax rate remains stable
According to Town of Chili Supervisor Tracy Logel, "Chili's current financial picture is quite stable, and our tax rate will remain constant at $3.853112 for the coming fiscal year. As a result of good fiscal management, I am happy to report that the Town of Chili enjoys an excellent bond rating and our town taxes are one of the lowest in Monroe County," she wrote in a press release.
As town population grows, she wrote, the demand of services also increases. In order to better serve residents and meet these growing needs, the town increased operational budgets and added additional positions. The following is a breakdown of some of the major changes:
- Funds allocated to highway building reserve have been increased, as there is a growing need to replace our antiquated highway facility in the near future.
- To better serve the growing community and meet the demands of the increased workload, the building department is undergoing reorganization. As a result, the building departments' overall operational budget has increased approximately 22 percent.
- The Recreation Department is growing rapidly. New programs are continuously added. To meet these increased demands, a full time youth recreation staff position has been added.
- Senior Center membership has nearly tripled since 2005. We ended 2006 with 812 members. As of September 2007, we have 1,249 members and continue to grow. Serving this population requires more funding. We have budgeted to add a part time individual to help with kitchen and driving duties. Bus costs have also increased, but we anticipate that increased revenue will offset most of this additional expense.
- The library budget is increasing a little over six percent to satisfy the library's request for additional staffing of a young adult librarian. The cost of an annual audit has also been added.
"Overall, Chili is a healthy community that continues to grow. It is a pleasure to be able to meet the growing demands placed on our services while maintaining a stable town tax rate," she wrote.
