South Glens Falls village budget keeps tax rate level

April 05--SOUTH GLENS FALLS -- The Village Board, in a 4-1 vote, approved a 2014-2015 budget Wednesday that keeps the property tax rate flat at $4.50 per $1,000 assessed property value.

The roughly $3.3 million budget for general spending -- not including the sewer or water plans -- is an increase of about 4 percent, or $130,000, over the 2013-2014 budget amount of $3.2 million. The village operates on a fiscal year that begins June 1.

The village is on track to spend about $250,000 less than what was allotted for the current fiscal year, said Dannae Bock, the village clerk and treasurer, on Tuesday.

The Village Board had its organizational meeting Wednesday and adopted a fee schedule that does not increase any fees.

The tax levy, or the amount to be raised by property taxes, is projected to increase to $1,196,486, which is $1,962 more than the current budget's levy.

Other than property taxes, the village also relies on revenue streams such as sales tax and utility taxes.

Trustee Tony Girard was the lone dissenting vote, citing concerns about the gap between revenues and expenditures, and the amount -- about $620,000 -- of appropriated fund balance.

"I'm glad we were able to have a (budget) workshop," Girard said.

The board this year conducted a public budget workshop in mid-March.

"I think we need to find a way to raise revenues and decrease expenses. Our fund balance is getting smaller, and as we continue to have deficits, that makes it smaller. We need to look at it on a monthly basis," Girard said.

Bock said the trustees get detailed monthly financial statements and she suggested looking at those more closely.

Mayor Joe Orlow said the budget process -- his first since he was elected last year -- included hours of meetings with department heads, Deputy Mayor Ed LaFave and individual trustees in efforts to trim expenses.

"We have department heads that have to have the support of this board and the equipment to do their jobs, and it's the boards responsibility to objectively look at all of this," Orlow said.

Before the public weighed in on the budget Wednesday, the board discussed a list of proposed cuts by Girard, agreeing to cut a few if his suggestions equaling a total of $3,000 from the plan. The amounts allocated for repairs and maintenance to police vehicles, South Glens Falls Fire Company physicals and shots and the fire company's truck and repair maintenance, were each cut by $1,000 from the preliminary budget.

During the public hearing, former Moreau Supervisor Harry Gutheil questioned the transparency of the budget process, health insurance costs and other items.

He said the village should reconsider offering health coverage to part-time employees and elected officials.

"A lot of people aren't getting those types of benefits," Gutheil said.

Bock said the village in recent years switched to a four-tier plan that saved it money and has looked into alternatives.

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