Town correcting budget figures due to spreadsheet snafu

HURLEY, N.Y. >> Town Board members are keeping open a budget public hearing through Nov. 14 after learning some figures in the proposed spending plan were incorrect due to a spreadsheet snafu.

The session is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in Town Hall at 10 Wamsley Place.

Supervisor Melinda McKnight on Wednesday said the errors are expected to be resolved with figures showings the town in a better fiscal position than expected.

While some figures, such as the highway budget, are expected to remain as previously published, the general fund will have more money to work with.

“In a certain way it’s great because what it actually means is we have way more money to work with,” McKnight said. “Because we have a lot more projected revenue…(such as) sales tax revenue and other revenue streams, the property tax levy is actually going to come down.”

However, McKnight was upset with not discovering the problem before the preliminary spending plan was released.

“I was sent spreadsheets by the accountants to do the budget with and those spreadsheets had formulas embedded in them that, unbeknownst to me until relatively recently, weren’t calculating the way they should have been,” she said.

“It meant that I didn’t have a full picture of where the numbers were,” McKnight said. “The summary sheet wasn’t calculating.”

The updated figures were not immediately available Thursday, though McKnight said there are questions from residents that can be answered about the 2023 budget. She noted the spending plan will include having a town bookkeeper take over payroll and accounting services.

“Outsourcing municipal functions is more costly than hiring staff because it reduces efficiency and limits the amount of oversight,” she said.

“At one time, the system apparently worked well,” McKnight said. “However, that is no longer the case. In addition, the (state Comptroller) prefers that towns bring bookkeeping under the auspices of the town government. The funds for this position will be offset by the reduction in fees paid to the accounting firm.”

Other concerns include expenses for relocating the Highway Department garage, which are expected to be covered by anticipated increases in sales tax revenue. McKnight added that the Town Board will also establish a reserve account before the end of 2022 that will be funded by balances in the current budget.