By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Each fall, many municipalities pass local laws allowing them to override New York State’s mandated tax increase cap. Whether municipalities actually exceed the tax cap remains to be seen as budget season unfolds. The Lysander Town Board passed such a law at its Sept. 17 meeting, but Supervisor Bob Wicks said the town is aiming to keep taxes stable for 2021.
“My objective this year is to come in with no tax increase,” Wicks said. “We may have to make some hard choices, but I think it’s important this year with 30 million people [unemployed] across the United States — and certainly some of those people live in the town of Lysander — to at least do as much as we can to relieve that tax burden on our residents.”
New York State law requires a town’s tentative budget to be filed in the town clerk’s office by Sept. 30. The town clerk is required to present the tentative budget to the town board by Oct. 5. The board must adopt the budget by Nov. 20.
Wicks said the town expects about $60,000 in savings for the parks and recreation budget and is projecting a surplus in the highway budget.
At the Sept. 17 meeting, two representatives from local cemeteries made their annual request for funding to the town board.
Norma Ward Newman, a former Lysander resident who now lives in Pulaski, said the town has provided $10,000 to Plainville Rural Cemetery, Jacksonville Rural Cemetery and Lysander Union Cemetery for the last five years.
“Those funds are needed greatly by these cemeteries,” Newman said.
Bonnie Keller Blake, secretary for the Lysander Union Cemetery, said the cemetery will submit vouchers to the town for reimbursement in October or November.
“We really appreciate it because it’s been able to help us get tree work done, maintenance on the driveways, the mowing is being done every two weeks and … there’s one couple that does building maintenance for us,” she said. “We’re hoping that this next year we’ll be able to put a new metal roof on our building, and the money that the town of Lysander gives us really does help.”
Deputy Supervisor Bob Geraci said Lysander’s annual contribution of $10,000 helps keep the three cemeteries afloat and ultimately could save the town money in the future. If a cemetery association dissolves, the municipality in which the cemetery is located is responsible for the maintenance, according to Section 291 of New York State Town Law.
