Liverpool Village Clerk Mary Ellen Sims has presented a tentative 2014-15 budget of $2,437,648 to the Board of Trustees on March 17. That figure is $120,000 higher than this year’s budget of $2,306,565, but Sims said the tax rate should remain flat at $12.25 per $1,000 of valuation.
“That’s the same rate we’ve had for the past two years,” she said.
Since taxes rose in 2011-12 after Onondaga County rescinded its longtime sale-tax revenue sharing program, village taxes have remained stable. Last year and the year before, a home assessed at $100,000 received a village tax bill of $1,225. All properties in the village are also assessed a $150-per-unit sewer rent charge.
Village residents and property owners are invited to comment on the proposed budget at a public hearing at 7 p.m. April 14, at the Village Hall, 310 Sycamore St.
At the Village of Liverpool Board of Trustees meeting, Sims reported that the proposed budget carried a $69,333 deficit.
“Yes, we were facing a deficit but the next day we [department heads] all reviewed our budgets and made adjustments,” Sims said. “We are now looking at a $26,000 deficit.”
The village will dip into its fund balance for the capital purchase a new $30,000 police car, Sims said. The Department of Public Works will replace its backhoe by leasing a new one at an annual cost of $11,000.
The 2014-15 proposal calls for a general fund budget of $2,229,997.62 and a sewer fund budget of $207,650, making the total budget $2,437,647.62.
The annual budget pays for village departments of public works, police, village court, clerks, codes enforcement and the operation of the Village Hall.
In 1998, the village implemented a rolling five-year forecast regarding its budget. Used as a budgeting tool, the forecast helps the board anticipate future expenses.
“This document includes the actual revenues and expenditures for the past four years, the budgeted amount for the current year and the projected revenues and expenditures for the next four years,” Sims said. “The difference between anticipated revenues and anticipated expenditures is the key to the future financial status of the village.”
One DWI in February
Liverpool Police Chief Don Morris informed village trustees at their March 17 meeting that officers made 135 traffic stops and issued 110 citations for violations of the state’s vehicle and traffic laws during February. In addition, seven traffic accidents were investigated and one arrest was made for driving while intoxicated and 19 parking tickets were issued.
Officers made 222 residential checks during the month while answering a total of 321 complaints and calls for service.
During February, LPD officers arrested 22 individuals on a total of 29 criminal charges.
