Taxes are on the decline in the towns of Marcellus and Elbridge.

On Nov. 8, the Marcellus Town Board passed a $3.65 million budget for 2013 with a tax rate of $6.30 per $1,000 assessed property value. Last year’s rate was $6.46 per $1,000, making for a 2.5 percent decrease.

Marcellus Town Supervisor Dan Ross said the town faced rising costs in New York State retirement (up 16 percent) and health insurance (up 10 percent). The town saved by reducing personnel costs, he said, and covered one-time expenses for equipment, volunteer fire department service awards and capital improvements by taking from the fund balance and reserves.

That same night, the Elbridge Town Board adopted a $1.27 million budget for 2013 and reduced the tax rate by .04 percent. The town’s tax rate will be $4.63 per $1,000.

“The town board was committed to cost containment in the face of rising health insurance costs, higher pension contributions required by the state retirement system, contracted salary increases and also the knowledge that the Onondaga County tax bill for many town residents would be increasing,” Elbridge Town Supervisor Ken Bush said. “As a result, the town board put together a budget where the town 2013 tax rates will remain virtually the same as 2012.”