The Whitehall Board of Education presented its proposed 2013-14 budget to the public and is eyeing a tax increase of 2.19 percent. The increase is driven largely by a 9.5 percent spike in the cost of employee benefits. The district will pay an additional $381,724 for employee benefits. Nearly three-quarters of that amount is the [...]
Village eyes 1.5 percent tax hike
The village has released its 2013-14 tentative budget and although officials were able to hold the line on most expenses, the spending plan calls for an increase in taxes to make up for insurance costs and an increase in pension contributions. As proposed, the village’s tax levy, the amount of money it collects through taxes, [...]
School board has tentative budget
By Jaime Thomas The Granville school board passed a tentative final budget following a workshop Monday night. There will be a 2.5 percent tax increase, which will raise the levy $167,000 from $6,661,872 to $6,828,419. Board members could have raised the tax levy as much as 4.8 percent but voted several weeks ago to keep [...]
School board asks for tax payer input on budget process
By Jaime Thomas The Granville School Board proposed a 2.5 percent tax increase at a board meeting Monday night, but that number is not set in stone. Board of Education President John Shaw reminded everyone that if they hold at a zero percent increase this year, they’ll have to make up for it in the [...]
Hot Topic: Hampton Fire Dept. and town board at odds over funding
The Hampton Volunteer Fire Department and the Hampton town board are embroiled in a contentious contract dispute. Fire department members say they weren’t given an opportunity to negotiate a higher contract and would consider cutting services if a new deal isn’t struck, while the town board believes it has given the department ample support. Members [...]
County supervisors approve budget
Washington County’s 2013 budget was approved by the county Board of Supervisors on Friday, but not without considerable debate. The budget just snuck through, adopted by a 10-7 vote. The $115 million spending plan calls for a 3.08 percent or $877,000 increase in the county’s $30 million tax levy. The budget will comply with the [...]
Town approves final budget
Hoping to avoid future tax spikes, the Whitehall Town Council ratified its 2013 budget at last Wednesday’s regularly scheduled board meeting. The $1.03 million spending plan calls for a 2.01 percent increase in the tax levy and a corresponding increase in the tax rate. The town was eyeing a 1.99 percent increase but the final [...]
Workers’ comp tangles Hampton town budget
The Hampton Town Board adopted what officials described as a difficult budget during their monthly meeting last Wednesday. Despite holding the line on spending, this year’s budget is expected to increase by about 3 percent because of an increase in the town’s workers’ compensation premium. The town will comply with the state-mandated 2 percent tax [...]
District tax rates set
Local residents that live in four of the five towns within the Whitehall School District will pay more in taxes according to the final tax rates released by the state. The tax rate will increase 5.15 percent in Whitehall, 5.3 percent in Hampton and Fort Ann, and 7.42 percent in Granville. The tax rate in [...]





