Clay, NY - Clay Town Supervisor Damian Ulatowski tonight proposed a $13,419,186 tentative budget, an increase in spending of $704,159. That's roughly 5.5 percent more than this year's budget. The tentative 2011 budget proposes a 13.71 percent increase in the tax rate, which is an increase of $7.68 per $1,000 in assessed value. Clay is on partial assessment. Town Comptroller...
Clay, NY - Clay Town Supervisor Damian Ulatowski tonight proposed a $13,419,186 tentative budget, an increase in spending of $704,159. That's roughly 5.5 percent more than this year's budget.
The tentative 2011 budget proposes a 13.71 percent increase in the tax rate, which is an increase of $7.68 per $1,000 in assessed value. Clay is on partial assessment. Town Comptroller John Shehadi told residents at a board meeting tonight that the average town tax bill would increase by about $65 under the tentative spending plan.
"This is an unfortunate blow to the taxpayers in Clay...," Ulatowski said.
Clay's tentative budget scales back on mileage, training and conferences, and it does not add any new employees next year, according to the supervisor's 2011 budget message.
Two of the town's roughly 105 employees took an early retirement incentive this year and their positions will not be filled, Ulatowski said. Another employee, who worked in the highway department, also retired this year. His position was filled, but with someone earning less money, the supervisor said.
Elected officials will not receive a salary increase for the third consecutive year, however employees in two bargaining units will receive a pay raise as negotiated through labor contracts. Salaries are expected to cost an additional $250,919 next year. The town also expects to pay $111,310 more in retirement contributions and $265,063 more in health insurance costs, Ulatowski said. He added that the town has no control over those costs.
"We want to revise the health coverage for union employees, but both bargaining units are currently under negotiation so we have to maintain the current coverage until agreements are reached," he said.
Earlier this year, the town changed health insurance plans for non-union employees and retirees, which saved a combined $181,000, the supervisor said.
During his budget message tonight, Ulatowski quoted G. Jeffrey Haber, executive director of the Association of Towns, who said, "Property taxes are too high in New York state, but the number of local governments has very little, if anything, to do with it."
Ulatowski also reiterated statements he had made to the Onondaga County Legislature earlier this year when the county was renegotiating a sales tax sharing agreement.
The new revenue-sharing formula, approved by lawmakers earlier this year, will give the county’s 19 towns -- including Clay -- just one-third of their previous allocation of sales tax money. That change means the county is keeping $47 million that the towns would have gotten.
"Time and time again we are called upon by our residents to answer their call for better and more efficient services, yet with each successive call the pressures of trying to deliver those services gets harder and harder as we are challenged by having to make do with less and less resources," Ulatowski said again tonight.
Clay town board members will now review the tentative 2011 budget and make recommendations.
An informational hearing on the budget has been scheduled for Oct. 18 during the town's regularly scheduled 7:30 p.m. town board meeting.