Brunswick tax rates unchanged

Spending expected to dip by $66,000 in $8.83M plan

The town’s proposed 2020 budget will keep the general fund and highway taxes at the same rate for the third year in row as overall spending declines by slightly more than $66,000.

The proposed $8.83 million budget is down from the 2019 budget of $8.89 million, according to the 2020 spending plan.

“I have worked hard to keep taxes stable and provide the essential services people deserve,” Supervisor Phil Herrington said Tuesday. He is running unopposed for re-election in the Nov. 5 election as some other Republican candidates face Democratic challengers.

The general fund tax remains at $3.32 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, while the highway tax remains at $5.28 per $1,000.

The owner of a home with a typical assessment of $50,120 will continue to receive a general tax bill of $166.40 for 2020, the same as 2019. The highway tax bill also is f lat staying at $264.63.

The proposed general fund budget is $3 million. The proposed highway budget is $2.3 million. Together the two funds account for $5.3 million of the overall town budget with the remaining $3.5 million going to water, sewer and fire district budgets.

Pat Poleto, Herrington’s assistant who worked on the budget, said the budget remains under the state tax cap. The general fund tax levy is $931,023. The highway tax levy is $1,482,393.

The proposed budget calls for 2 percent pay raises for town employees.

The town also is preparing for the proposed repairs to the Vanderheyden Dam on North Lake Avenue at the town beach, Poleto said. The town has $90,000 appropriated in the proposed budget with reserves of about $400,000 set aside for a project that could cost about $1 million, Poleto said. Town officials will be meeting with state Department of Environmental Conservation representatives to discuss the required work, he said.

The budget maintains current services. The town’s funding for the Brunswick Community Library is proposed to increase by 2 percent in 2020 to $118,912 from $116,580 in the 2019 budget.

The Town Board is expected to set a public hearing date for the proposed 2020 budget when it meets Thursday at Town Hall.