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October 31, 2009

Highway Fund tax levy in Town of Plattsburgh

By DAN HEATH

SPECIAL DISTRICTS

•  Fire districts: The 2010 tax rates for the fire districts in the Town of Plattsburgh are: Morrisonville, up to 77 cents per $1,000 of assessed value from 72 cents; Cumberland Head up to $1.10 from 83 cents; District 3 down to 97 cents from 98 cents; South Plattsburgh down to $2.25 from $2.50; and Cadyville unchanged at $1.04.

•  Lighting districts: The 2010 tax rates for lighting districts in the Town of Plattsburgh are: Morrisonville 1, unchanged at 27 cents per thousand of assessed value; Morrisonville 2, unchanged at 26 cents; Cadyville down to 38 cents from 39 cents; Champlain Park, unchanged at 31 cents; Cliff Haven, down to 22 cents from 23 cents; Halsey's Corners, down to 26 cents from 27 cents; Rocky Point, down to 54 cents from 57 cents; Treadwell Mills, down to 22 cents from 23 cents; and Cumberland Corners down to 41 cents from 46 cents.

•  Sewer districts: The 2010 tax rates for the sewer districts in the Town of Plattsburgh are: Consolidated Sewer District up to 32 cents per thousand of assessed value from 28 cents; and the Base Sewer District up to $4.38 from $4.31.

•  Water districts: The 2010 tax rates for the water districts in the Town of Plattsburgh are: Consolidated Water District, up to 88 cents per thousand of assessed value from 87 cents; and the Base Water District up to $4.58 from $4.02.

•  Ambulance districts: The 2010 tax rates for the ambulance districts in the town of Plattsburgh are: District 1, served by Morrisonville EMS, up to 56 cents per thousand of assessed value from 41 cents; and District 2, served by CVPH EMS, unchanged at 20 cents.

PLATTSBURGH — The Town of Plattsburgh 2010 preliminary budget will have a Highway Fund tax rate for the first time since the mid-1980s.

Town Budget Officer Diane Miller said increased costs and decreased revenues led to Highway Fund tax rate of 40 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Town residents face a $400,000 tax levy for that department.

The town needs to replace a 20-year-old plow truck, Miller said. Also, more roads need to be plowed now that the town has its portion of the Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corp. roads and the Cumberland Head (perimeter) Road.

"The county used to pay us to plow Cumberland Head Road," Miller said.

The Highway Fund tax rate is still quite a bit less than neighboring communities, she noted.

SPENDING UP
The preliminary budget is $13,492,601, a 2.92-percent increase from this year's $13,127,890 budget.

"There are no big increases," Miller said. "We are just trying to keep the services we have."

If fire and ambulance districts weren't included, the budget would have increased only 1.5 percent, she said.

General Fund appropriations rose to $3.4 million from $3.3 million, a 3.53-percent increase.

Highway Fund appropriations rose $2.1 million from $2.05 million, a 2.93-percent increase.

SALES TAX APPLIED
The town will again use Clinton County sales-tax revenue to eliminate a General Fund tax levy and reduce the Highway Fund tax levy.

It will use $1.65 million of the estimated $3.05 million in Clinton County sales-tax revenue in the General Fund and $1.4 million in the Highway Fund.

REVENUE DOWN
Lost revenue includes $425,000 a year in payment-in-lieu-of-taxes revenue from Saranac Power Partners. Miller said the town might get some money under a new agreement, but it will be less than $50,000.

Mortgage-tax payments are also down, due to the struggling economy, Miller said. That revenue is expected to drop from $320,000 to $250,000 next year.

Water and Sewer Department appropriations dropped to $1.65 million from $1.7 million, a 3.48-percent decrease. Town Water and Wastewater Department Director David Comfort said the town still has, by far, the lowest water rates in the county.

The town recently completed the Moffitt Road extension of the Consolidated Water District and is now connecting residences.

INSURANCE
Miller said health-insurance costs are expected to increase 12 to 18 percent.

The Teamsters contract, which covers highway and water and wastewater employees, has a 14-percent health-insurance increase, she said.

New York State Retirement payments are expected to stay stable, Miller said, but the town has already received a paper warning of a projected 40-percent increase for 2011.

RAISES
Town employees covered by contracts are set for 3-percent wage increases.

Elected officials will get 3-percent raises.

The supervisor's salary will increase to $68,944 from $66,984. The deputy supervisor's salary will rise to $14,976 from $14,540.

The other three town councilors' salaries will increase to $14,017 from $13,609.

Salary increases for other elected officials are: the two town justices, up to $31,666 from $30,744; receiver of taxes and assessments, to $27,053 from $26,265; highway superintendent, to $65,761 from $63,846; and town clerk, to $27,088 from $26,299.

The Town Council will hold a public hearing on the preliminary budget during its meeting on Thursday at the Town Hall, 151 Banker Road, Plattsburgh.

E-mail Dan Heath at: dheath@pressrepublican.com

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