By Jason Emerson

editor

The town of Fenner’s tentative 2019 town budget, discussed at the town board’s Oct. 10 monthly meeting, currently includes a town tax rate increase of 67 cents per every $1,000 of assessed value over last year’s tax rate. The total 2019 budget is $1,043,656 million — the same as the 2018 budget — but the current calculated tax rate for next year is $3.95 per every $1,000 of assessed value. This is an increase from the 2018 tax rate of $3.28 per every $1,000 of assessed value.

Supervisor Dave Jones said the potential increase is due to the revaluation of the Fenner Wind Farm tax assessment at $13 million less than last year — an action taken by the town recently to resolve a lawsuit between the town and Canastota Wind Power, LLC, the owners of the windmills. (Click here for previous story.)

Jones said the tentative budget is still subject to change, especially since the town’s tax stabilization rate has yet to be incorporated into the budget. “So the tax rate could still go down,” Jones said.

The town board will schedule a public hearing on the budget to occur during its Nov. 14 monthly meeting, and will likely vote on the final budget a that time, Jones said.