The Saugerties town board adopted the final budget for 2024 that falls below the state-mandated cap and reduces the tax rate, while increasing the amount to be raised through property taxes. The town can stake in more money at a lower tax rate because property values have increased and because there has been an increase in taxable property. The total property value in Saugerties in 2023 is $2,651,082,932. The expected value in 2024 is $3,110,730,287.
The average assessment has increased from $275,466 to $322,757, about 5.8 percent.
Based on the taxes that all town residents pay, the tax rate has declined from 5.85 percent to 5.10 percent. The bill for the median homeowner with property valued at $322,757 would be $1,645.18, up 2.4 percent from this year’s bill of $1,610.74. The increase in property value more than makes up for the decrease in the tax rate from $5.84 per $1,000 to 5.10 per $1,000.
Village residents, whose town taxes are based on general townwide taxes, library, library bond and ambulance will see a reduction in the tax rate from 4.05 per $1,000 valuation to 3.58 per $1,000. However, the median homeowner will see a tax bill increase from $1,114.56 to $1,126.24, a 3.74 percent increase.
It was especially difficult to keep the budget below the state cap of 2 percent increase over the previous year because wage increases, pensions, insurance and other large cost increases had pushed the budget over the tax cap, said supervisor Fred Costello. The increases was just over three percent, he said. With further work on the budget, it is within the tax cap, “and it also reduces the tax rate substantially. It does increase spending over three percent, which is less than the current inflation rate.”
Following passage, the budget will be given to Ulster County, which will generate the tax bills on the town’s behalf.
• The Supervisor’s salary is budgeted for $50,500, compared with $45,500 this year.
• The four town board members are budgeted to receive $14,000 apiece, up from $13,000 this year.
• The tax collector is budgeted to receive $52,758, up from this year’s $47,758.
• The town clerk is budgeted to receive $57,000, versus this year’s salary of $52,000.
• The superintendent of buildings and grounds is budgeted for $72,364, up from $70,945.
• The police chief position is budgeted for $124,097, although the position is currently unfilled, with an interim chief working on a daily basis, rather than a salary.
• The highway superintendent salary is budgeted for $74,626, up from $73,626.
The budget for buildings and grounds is up from $1,090,768 to $1,189,717.
• Street lighting cost is budgeted to decrease from $30,000 in this year’s budget to $25,000 in 2024.
• Police department cost is budgeted at $3,361,420 up from $3,186,327 budgeted for this year.
The complete budget is posted online at https://townsaugerties.digitaltowpath.org:10234/content/Generic/View/829:field=documents;/content/Documents/File/2888.pdf.
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