The Manlius Town Board will vote next week to override Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s property tax levy cap, deciding to do so a week after declaring its intent not to go over the 2 percent limit.
The overall town property tax levy will remain below 2 percent, as the law requires, for two of three fire protection districts, board member Nick Marzola explained at a regular meeting Nov. 16.
Residents in the Fayetteville fire protection district will see a tax increase of 4.53 percent due to the capital improvement plan for the Fayetteville fire department. Expected payments on the new building caused the Fayetteville fire budget to increase a whopping 41 percent.
Excluding increases in the fire protection districts, the tax levy for the town will remain at a 1.44 percent increase.
Originally, the town was under the impression that capital improvements, such as the fire department expansion, would be an exclusion under Cuomo’s tax cap.
The town board called a special town board meeting Monday, Nov. 14, to set a time for a public hearing, originally scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 20. That has since been moved to Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. Residents can come to speak on the tax cap override and the board is expected to vote to adopt the budget after.
Traditionally, town budgets are to be reported to the county and state by Nov. 20. Supervisor Ed Theobald said the town was able to find a ruling by the comptroller that would allow the town to hold the public hearing, and adopt the final budget for 2012, after the Nov. 20 deadline. The ruling states the adoption can occur as long as the levy does not disrupt the operation of the town or the county. The two-day delay, Theobald said, would not be a disruption.
