Town of Lebanon board members will gather on Oct. 23 at 7:30 pm in the Town Office Building in the hamlet for a special budget workshop meeting to review the tentative 2018 budget for the town submitted by Town Supervisor/Budget Officer Jim Goldstein on Sept. 30, 2017.
The public is invited to attend but any salary increase considerations will be discussed in executive session.
The tentative budget was approved as the preliminary budget for the town by the Town Board at the Oct. 9 regular town board meeting and a budget workshop and a public hearing date was set for Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. in accordance with Town law. The budget workshop on Oct. 23 will review the proposed budget more carefully and also consider other items including salary increases or budget requests by town officials.
Supervisor Goldstein submitted a budget (attached) that will lower the town tax rate from the current $4.575 per $1,000 of assessed property to $4.484 per $1,000 of assessed property in 2018. Despite losses in property values due to declining natural gas prices, the town assessed valuation increased from $77,644,536 to $78,557,417. The total proposed town budget for 2018 is $352,214 compared to $355,187 in 2017. The total town budget proposed for 2018 is $903,483 with anticipated revenues of $351,269 and use of about $200,000 in unexpended fund balance. In 2017, the town budget totaled $893,995 which included $338,808 in revenues and $200,000 in unexpended fund balance. Town officials had to amend the budget upward this year due to increased highway equipment acquisitions and necessary equipment repairs. Funds from highway reserves were utilized instead of borrowing.
The tentative 2018 budget and the adopted 2017 budget are attached for review.
Goldstein reported the following budget highlights to town board members at the Oct. 9 meeting:
- NYS retirement was down but workers comp costs were up.
- Health insurance costs will continue to rise regardless of plans considered.
- The town share of county sales tax was up considerably in contrast to other parts of the upstate region.
- Requests from local fire and ambulance contracts were nearly flat with the exception of SOMAC which required an increase. Some of the increase is due to the town’s equalization rate and assessed valuation, but the town is scheduled to undergo a revaluation in 2018.
In other town business Oct. 9, local officials:
- Agreed that the overwhelming input to date on the proposed Land Management Law changes were clearly opposed to changing rules regarding mobile home parks, lot sizes, number of residences per lot, recreational vehicles and rental properties and that these changes would not be considered but that the town would move forward deliberatively on considering changes in road frontage requirements, definitions and other suggested changes made by the committee tasked with review of the local law over the last year. Town board members discussed the input at the Sept. 11 town board meeting, which was attended by a standing room only crowd of over 30 town residents vehemently opposed to most of the recommended changes and town officials have also received phone calls and emails largely mirroring the same view. LMLL committee chair Susan Galbraith discussed some of the feedback and various proposed changes and their rationale and did wonder whether the town would instead favor a ban on mobile home parks given the response to the proposed changes. She also offered to make herself available as the town board requires in discussing many of the more minor proposed changes that will be reviewed in the coming months. Town resident Steven Bartlett voiced support for the proposed LMLL changes, stating that people of limited income should not be penalized because of their financial status.
- Introduced a local law that would allow the Town Clerk to have the option to appoint another town official as her deputy if needed. A public hearing on this proposed law change will occur at the Nov. 13town board meeting.
- Introduced a local law that would override the NYS property tax cap if necessary for the town budget. Town officials will have a better idea at their Oct. 23 budget workshop if their budget exceeds the tax cap established by the state this year. A public hearing will be held Nov. 13 to consider overriding the tax cap.
- Discussed pending reimbursement for CHIPs and DASNY (NY Rising) road work done by the town from the state and the cash flow challenges it has created. The town is awaiting approximately $224,000 in state reimbursement for work done on Musician Road, Smith Road and replacing the Carncross Road bridge as a hazard mitigation project to reduce future flooding in the township. Town officials also anticipate reimbursement for snow plowing related to the Stella storm event last winter and the town has also received $17,700 from Madison County as part of a host community benefit payment for Madison County, part of which was shared with all the towns, related to revenues from the casino operating in Chittenango that was authorized by the NYS Legislature and the Governor.
- Discussed having to replace another Stadium International truck box that is rusted out before winter that will utilize town highway reserves. The town continues to experience higher costs and shorter life with state bid heavy trucks that Highway Superintendent Alex Hodge attributes to the trucks being made with recycled steel that does not hold up as well in winter weather.
- Authorized action by the town attorney and town highway superintendent to address property line issues adjacent to the old Town Highway Garage.