The Village of Cazenovia Board Meeting on April 4 was preceded by a public hearing notifying residents of the trustees’ work on finalizing next year’s budget.
Mayor Thomas Dougherty began the evening’s proceedings by outlining details for the tentative 2011-12 village budget and informing attendees of a minimal tax increase. After concluding the public hearing and calling the board meeting to order, the budget was accepted by all village trustees and the resolution to adopt the budget passed unanimously.
“We put in many hours looking at all the options, trying to balance cost versus services,” Deputy Mayor Kurt Wheeler said. “The entire board is very sensitive to keeping taxes as low as possible.”
A three-percent tax increase has been considered for the next budget year. The increase would equate to a 17-cent hike for every thousand dollars the house is worth. Accordingly, residents with a house valued at $150,000 will see their taxes rise aboutt $27.
The two main sources for future fiscal health in the village of Cazenovia will be sales tax revenue and the growth of the area’s tax base. Dougherty said that last year, there was only a 1-percent increase in the community tax base.
The sluggish economy has had an effect on the citizens statewide; without residents shopping locally to sustain the community market, no new businesses will open and many existing stores may have to close.
“People need to understand that when they buy locally in Madison County, it comes back directly to help hold down their property taxes and maintain our streets and parks,” Wheeler said. “Money spent in Onondaga County does nothing for us.”
Wheeler went on to introduce an idea to annex portions of Fenner Road and Route 20 into village domain. By augmenting the village’s jurisdiction to just beyond the Googin Sports Complex, the possibilities for expansion and number of tax-paying residents would increase.
Of course, this concept is still in the formative stages; in the coming months trustees will discuss the idea with the property owners to get a feel for their general attitudes. Copies of the official Village of Cazenovia 2011-12 Budget are available at the village office, in the Municipal Building at 90 Albany St.
Regularly scheduled Village of Cazenovia Board meetings take place the first Monday of each month. The next village board meeting is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. on May 2 in the Municipal Building.
