A public hearing on the 2021 Saugerties town budget is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4 in the senior citizens’ center on Market Street. Following the public hearing, the town board may modify the budget.
The budget consists of a townwide expenditure of $9,152,139 for the general fund, paid by all taxpayers, including village residents. Taxes for the town outside the village of $813,756 and taxes for road construction and maintenance are paid by town residents only. The total for these three categories is the general “town tax” used to summarize taxes. Village residents pay for some services, such as street maintenance, through separate village taxes.
The amount to be raised by taxes totals $10,660,625, of which $7,147,139 is townwide, including the village, $423,956 is budgeted for services to the town outside the village and $3,089,530 will go to the highway fund.
Police costs in Saugerties will increase by $529,898 or 23 percent, to a budgeted sum for 2021 of $2,788,260. Other departmental increases were for tax collection, $104,508, an increase of $4662 or 4.6 percent; for assessment, $187,500, an increase of $3350 or 2 percent; for the town clerk’s office, $100,700, an increase of .01 percent; for buildings and grounds, $1,010,109, an increase of $17,766, or 2 percent; and for parks, $858,003, an increase of $14,893 or 2 percent.
The proposed budget contains a salary for the supervisor of $40,500, an increase of $1,000 or 2.52 percent, and for the other four members of the town board of $11,750 each, an increase of 2.17 percent.
Major sources of projected revenues include $210,000 in the town’s share of county sales taxes, $125,000 in interest and penalties on late property taxes, and $290,000 in state aid and mortgage taxes.
Supervisor Fred Costello said some of the increase in the budget is related to the coronavirus, including such costs as screens at the counters, building modifications to improve safety. The loss of some state tax revenue is attributed to state cutbacks to cover the cost of the virus.
The budget contains taxes that affect only part of the town, such as the ten lighting districts in Glasco, Mount Marion and other areas with street lights. Also included is funding for the town ambulance service, the library’s capital fund (but not the operating budget), and capital funds for the water districts.
The budget does not exceed the New York State tax cap, Total spending on items covered by the cap, including payments to the sewer, lighting and other bodies that serve part of the town total $12,190,676. The cap, which equals 2 percent of the total [with some adjustments], is $12,481,661, so the town is well within the limit.
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