The Village of East Syracuse Board of Trustees voted to adopt a 2015-16 budget that will have a tax rate decrease of 18 percent.
The 2015-16 budget, totaling $4.4 million, has a decrease from the 2014-15 budget of about $473,000. According to East Syracuse Mayor Robert Tackman, this decrease in-part is due to the abolishment of the East Syracuse Police Department, which brings an estimated savings of about $612,000, as determined by the New York State Comptroller.
This budget reflects a general fund tax rate of $13.13 per $1,000 home assessed value and a sewer maintenance fee of $.56 per $1,000 home assessed value.The total tax rate would be $13.69 per $1,000 home assessed value, which is a decrease from the 2014-15 tax rate of $15.50 per $1,000.
Proposed revenue from non-property tax sources include payments in lieu of taxes, interest earnings, court fines, franchise fees, fire protection contract, and state aid and grants.
Most of the departmental budgets remained close to unchanged, but a 13 percent debt (totaling about $531,000) from the general fund will come from two village construction projects for the municipal building and the Hanlon Pool bathhouse.
Wages for village employees decreased a total of 26 percent, and Tackman said there will be a proposed 2 percent increase in wages for all employees. There are no plans to add village staffing at this time.
The 2015-16 East Syracuse Budget was approved unanimously by the village board at a special meeting on April 20.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
