Officials release early budget
Officials present preliminary 2021 plan with no tax hike
BALLSTONSPA, N.Y. » Saratoga County officials released the county’s tentative 2021 budget to the public, sharing that it will lower property taxes and cut spending despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating socio- economic impacts.
The budget announcement was presented by Saratoga County Administrator Spencer Hellwig, along with Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Preston Allen and Law and Finance Committee Chairman Dan P em rick, on Thursday morning during an event at the Board of Supervisors Chamber in Ballston Spa.
This 2021 budget was carefully crafted to best address the economic concerns from the pandemic, Saratoga County officials said, noting that the proposed budget will reduce both property taxes and pending, yet the budget will remain balanced thanks to the county’s long history of fiscal responsibility.
“The challenge for Saratoga County government is to figure out how we can continue to meet and exceed the operational needs of our departments serving the greater community and do it without creating a financial hardship for our taxpayers. Not only will the tax bill be reduced, but we will not exceed the property tax cap and we will do this at the same time our population has increased 7% since the 2010 census,” Hellwig said in a press release.
Sales tax will continue to be the largest source of revenue for the county and is budgeted at $127 million. Half of this will be redistributed to the towns and cities pursuant to the county’s sales tax distribution formula. The sales tax rate will remain at a constant 3% rate across the board.
The property tax rate is $2.23 per thousand of assessed value, which is $0.03 lower than 2020, making it one of the lowest county property tax rates in New York state. This will provide $65 million in revenue in 2021 andwill be in full compliance with the New York State Property Tax Cap.
“In 2021, all our property tax revenue will be spent paying for unfunded federal and state mandates,” Hellwig added. In total, this will amount to more than $65.9 million, and will consume all of the property tax levy, plus an additional$925,000 from other general fund revenue.
“In the midst of a global pandemic, our Board of Supervisors has exceeded expectations by keeping Saratoga County financially secure,” Hellwig said in the release. “We’ve managed to lower taxes and reduce our spending in order to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 economic crisis on taxpayers. We were able to create this budget thanks to our long term financial planning, and it demonstrates the enduring strength of our County to provide residents with effective fiscal management.”
The tentative budget will be presented to the Law and Finance Committee on Nov. 12.
“I’m confident that the tentative budget will meet the needs of our 234,000 residents while maintaining our longstanding tradition of conservative budgeting for all our discretionary services,” Pemrick said. “We have long touted our careful planning and management of our financial resources, and now despite all of the hardship of operating under the constraints of a global pandemic, we are in a position to ride out this storm with no operational disruption.”
For 2021, “Our priority will be to support our greater community by keeping vital county services intact without creating any additional tax burden for our residents,” Pemrick continued, calling the budget “not just a financial plan, but a roadmap for our continued success and one of New York state’s premier places to live, work and play.”
A public hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 2, followed by a vote for adoption by the board on Dec. 9.