The Mount Hope town board on Oct. 21 unanimously adopted a $5.5 million budget for 2025, which is about 10 percent higher than that of the current year.
The two biggest cost drivers in the budget are personnel health insurance costs and retirement benefits, according to Town Supervisor Paul Rickard.
The budget covers the town’s main operating funds, highway department expenses, the Mount Hope Fire Protection District, and the Hidden Valley sewer fund.
Property tax supports nearly half of the $5.5 million budget and is 2.9 percent higher than this year, which is below the tax cap prescribed by the New York State Comptroller’s Office.
Even with the levy increase, most individual taxpayers won’t see much change to their bills—some will even see slight reductions in some of their property tax lines—because the larger tax burden is spread over a larger assessment roll, according to Rickard.
By July 17, in the context of general funds, the total assessed value of town properties had gone up by an estimated $5.7 million compared with the last budget cycle.
“We don’t tax people more, and [the increased tax levy] is all revenue driven,” Rickard told The Epoch Times. “The assessed roll is bigger, so we have more money to spend.”
About $297,000 in fund balance is being used to balance the budget.
Rickard highlighted several new initiatives in the coming year, including the replacement of the HVAC system at the senior center, park enhancements such as a new splash pad and an enriched summer program, and the town’s 200th-anniversary celebration.
“I think this is a good, solid budget that takes into consideration our needs as well as the taxpayers’ needs, and I am happy that we were able to pass it,” Rickard said.
Amanda Davis, a town councilwoman and a strong advocate for a splash pad, told The Epoch Times that the pad will be installed in the town park, with sprinklers shooting water up from the ground.
“I have kids of my own, and we have a lot of young families that have moved up to our area. It is something that I feel would be beneficial for them,” Davis said.
Town councilwoman Keri Lee Carey, who chairs the bicentennial committee, told The Epoch Times that there will be a series of celebrations in September, including a parade, a festival with food vendors and kids’ activities, and a fireworks display.
A time capsule is also in the planning, she said.
Rickard told The Epoch Times that he had improved the town’s budgeting process this year in several ways, including increased professional guidance from a new accountant, more-accurate recording of certain revenue and expense accounts, more realistic forecasts of budget lines, and a more timely posting of the preliminary budget for public review.
“It was a much more robust, thorough process,” he said. “Your budget is really your blueprint for the upcoming year, so I do think that is something that I want to implement here.”
