Town’s 2019 budget appears headed for approval

TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. >> The Town Board is nearing approval of a proposed $11.7 million town budget for 2019.

The budget, which is about 4.3 percent larger than the town’s 2018 spending plan and would increase the property tax levy by about 4.1 percent, was the subject of a public hearing Thursday at which only one town resident spoke. That person urged town leaders to be mindful of changes in the commercial tax base.

“The population of our town ... has not varied much in the past 10 years,” Regis Obijiski said. “That is the only constant. Retail stores and related revenue [in] towns like ours are disappearing because we have changed how we buy things. TechCity [the former IBM plant] is another bad news story. Living within our means and managing our town is anything but business as usual.”

The property tax levy in the town’s proposed 2019 budget totals $8.61 million, which is about $338,000 more than the 2018 levy.

The new levy is $2,700 below the maximum amount allowed by the state, town Supervisor James Quigley said.

The state tax cap was adopted by New York lawmakers in 2011 to limit the annual growth of local property tax levies to the rate of inflation or 2 percent, whichever is lower, but excludes certain expenses, such as pension costs.

Police wages are among the biggest driver of Ulster’s 2019 budget, coming it at $1.95 million, an increase of 8.7 percent over 2018.

Employee benefits are estimated to be $3.7 million, up 5.6 percent.

Salaries for town officials in the 2019 budget, all unchanged from 2018, are $75,000 for the highway superintendent; $50,938 for the town clerk; $44,000 for the supervisor; and $10,000 for each of the four members of the Town Board.

The 2019 budget also includes:

• About $437,000 for Highway Department wages, down 0.6 percent from 2018.

• $240,000 for blacktopping, up 4.4 percent.

• $205,000 for pollution insurance, up 10.8 percent.

• $70,000 for road salt, up 16.7 percent.

The Town Board is to vote on adopting the budget at its Nov. 15 meeting.