Preliminary village budget calls for spending hike of 2.79%
by Dan McClelland
On Monday at noon the Tupper Lake Village Board presented to the public a draft of financial plan that will guide the village's operation in the fiscal year beginning June 1.
The only people in attendance were the mayor and Trustees Clint Hollingsworth, Ron LaScala and Leon LeBlanc, along with Treasurer Mary Casagrain.
The proposed budget, which must be finalized this month likely after several work sessions, forecasts total spending this coming year of $3.048 million- a figure up by $83,016 or 2.79% over the current year.
The proposed budget covers spending in only the village's general fund which covers the operations of the village staff at the Park St. headquarters, the village fire and police departments and the department of public works (street and sidewalk detail). The village electric and water/sewer departments are funded for the most part by ratepayers of those utilities and do not affect the village tax rate.
In the preliminary plan, after $100,000 in unexpended balance from the current year is rolled forward and after revenues from other than taxes of $942,131 are applied, the balance of spending that figures into the calculation of the total tax levy in the village will be $2.005 million- or up by just shy of two percent (1.976%) from the total village tax levy this year.
If the budget is adopted without substantial alteration later this month by the board, the plan would produce a total tax levy of $58 below the state's permanent 2% tax cap which for the village this coming year will be $2,005,997.
In prospect for the village's 2019-20 financial year is a total tax valuation in the village of $141,759,758 which will produce a tax rate of $14.51 per thousand assessed valuation, based on this year's spending.
The amount of assessed property to share the tax burden next year (village tax base) is up by $274,344 from $141,485,414 this year.
The proposed tax rate of $14.15 is up by 25 cents per $1,000 from the current rate of $$13.898 per $1,000 or an increase of 1.78%.
The village tax rate five years ago in 2014-15 was $13.331 per $1,000. Based on a house in the village assessed at $100,000 village taxes were $1,333 per year then. This coming year that owner of that same house with the same $100,000 assessment will pay $1,415 in total village taxes, $82 or six percent more they did five years ago.