TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY
PUBLIC HEARING BUDGET 2018
WEDNESDAY, 11/8/2017, 7:00 PM
SALLY P. CARLSON, SUPERVISOR PRESENT
FRANK STOW, COUNCILMAN PRESENT
DICK SENA, COUNCILMAN PRESENT
DUNCAN MCNEILL, COUNCILMAN PRESENT
LOUISE ORTMAN, COUNCILWOMAN PRESENT
OTHERS PRESENT: Dave Stapleton, Attorney; Nancy Thomas, Town Clerk
Mrs. Carlson brought the hearing to order at 7:00 PM. She noted that employee benefits have gone up significantly and we still do not have firm figures from our health insurance broker as to 2018 policy premiums (rates and deductible have gone up). She said retirement is based on the figures that NYS has given us. She reviewed the budget cover page and indicated that she had kept the budget increase $2,000.00 below the 2% tax cap because you not only have to include our total in the tax cap amount, but you also have to keep the special districts under the tax cap (i.e. BOCES Sewer/Water; Ashville Lighting; Sunrise Cove, etc.). She said as those obligations decrease we will have additional funds for the total budget.
Mr. Sena asked why November, 2016 has $170,000 in sales tax and November, 2017 has only $23,000 on page 1.
Mrs. Carlson said this is because the Highway Superintendent’s budget has no unexpended balance. She said he will be using the majority of the November sales tax check. She said that is why there is no unexpended balance on the summary page to offset the amount to be raised by tax. She noted that she has included $100,000 for the Highway Capital Reserve Fund for the purchase of equipment, because when he submitted his budget he had gone down to $115,000.00 left.
Mrs. Carlson noted that in General Fund Revenues she kept below the tax cap by lowering the General Funds share of the tax warrant. She said she had used sales tax $23,213.00 and based on this year’s sales tax that is $232.00 more than we received this year. She said the only other real change in the amounts is Court Fund. She said all she is including in revenue amount is exactly what the court costs ($97,305.00 which covers salaries, benefits, equipment, etc. for all employees). She said if the court generates more than that amount it will go into unexpended balance. She said rather than overestimate revenues, she underestimated them because revenues in 2016 were $202,000.00. She noted that the court has indicated that revenues are down. She said she raised the Mortgage Tax by $2,000. She said the largest change in the budget is the amount of unexpended balance used. She said unfortunately there just weren’t any funds to put in the budget this year for a building.
Mr. Stow noted that the CLA and CLP will receive $7,000.00 in the budget. There was a brief general discussion of the proposed CLP projects.
- MOTION # OF 2017
MRS. ORTMAN MOTIONED TO ADOPT THE 2018 BUDGET AS PRESENTED. MR. MCNEILL SECONDED. YES (5): STOW, SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, CARLSON. THE MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
- MOTION # OF 2017
ON A MOTION MADE BY MR. MCNEILL, SECONDED BY MR. SENA, AND NONE BEING OPPOSED, THE HEARING WAS ADJOURNED AT 7:20 PM.
Nancy Thomas, Town Clerk
