Budget hearing Oct. 14

By Dan King

After two workshops to hash things out, Whitehall Town Board members have put forth a proposed budget for 2016.

The budget would raise taxes by .02 percent, from 4.75 percent this year to 4.77 percent. The overall tax levy, or amount to be raised by taxes town-wide, would increase by $10,000 from $869,266 to $879,266.

Notable increases to spending include a bump in the salary of the town assessor of nearly $10,000 and a $26,820 increase in spending for highway machinery and equipment.

However, the highway equipment increase is offset by a decrease of the same amount in the highway debt service principal payments. The town is also anticipating to spend $3,000 less in snow removal than it did a year ago.

Supervisor George Armstrong said he was in favor of the propose budget, because it “stays within the tax cap.”

According to the assessor’s report, the town has 551 tax exemptions, leaving $51,757,010 of value exempt from town taxes.

A public hearing will be held on the budget at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14, just prior to the start of the scheduled town board meeting. Anyone interested in getting a copy of the proposed budget may do so by stopping by the town offices at 57 Skenesborough Drive, Suite 1 of the Whitehall Municipal Building.