By Hayleigh Gowans

Staff Writer

Residents in the town of Manlius can expect to see their tax rate slightly decrease based on the 2017 final budget, which was adopted at the Nov. 16 meeting of the town board.

According to Councilor Nicholas Marzola, who is the chair of the town’s budget and finance committee, the final budget amount is about $14 million, which represents a 1.71 increase from last year’s total budget amount. The amount to be raised by taxes is about $11 million, which results in a tax rate of $4.83 per $1,000 assessed value, which is a slight decrease from last year’s rate of $4.89 per $1,000 assessed value. This is the second year in a row the town has been able to decrease the tax rate.

Marzola pointed out the town was able to achieve a tax levy increase at 0.334 percent, which is well below the state tax levy cap of 0.68 percent.

“To summarize, we reduced the tax rate and cap and still have a positive fund balance, and the budget did not interfere with any services,” said Town Supervisor Ed Theobald.

Theobald said he believes a major contributing factor for the decrease in the tax rate for the past two years has to do with the changes the town departments have implemented that make their services more efficient.

Based on the New York State Comptroller’s Fiscal Stress Monitoring System, the town of Manlius has achieved the lowest stress score — 0 percent — every year since 2012.

“Overall, we accomplished much this budget year,” said Marzola. “[We] maintained expenses at 1.71 percent, which considering significant increases in health insurance and state mandated cost, as well as union wage increases, is testimony to our focused zero based budgetary approach and the operational effectiveness of our town departments.”

For a full copy of the budget, go to townofmanlius.org.