Update: Town Board to get Dougherty’s budget draft

Just since the end of last week, Supervisor Jim Dougherty has tweaked his budget proposal.

Mr. Dougherty’s draft budget now shows a 3.5 percent increase over the current year’s budget with a plan to use $370,000 from the town’s fund budget.

His budget proposal is now down from last week, when Mr. Dougherty was projecting a 4 percent increase.

He described his budget proposal Tuesday morning as “still a moving target” subject to change between now and the time the full Town Board begins its budget deliberations Monday morning.

“I’m hopeful my colleagues and I can get it down further,” the supervisor said.

The first step Mr. Dougherty will ask the board to take is to pass a resolution allowing the town to pierce the 2 percent state-imposed tax cap if it’s necessary to cover spending in 2015. That’s a routine request that must be passed whether or not the final budget goes over the cap as the town did last fall in voting on its $9.95 million budget. That budget required raising $7.23 million from local real estate taxes, up from $6.9 million in the previous year.

If, as expected, the cap is pierced to meet spending in 2015, it would be for the third successive year.

Among the most challenging parts of the budget every year is coming up with money needed by the Highway Department and Department of Public Works, both under the direction of Jay Card Jr.
The requests Mr. Dougherty received from Mr. Card would have boosted that part of the budget by 23.18 percent, Mr. Dougherty said Tuesday. It’s what Mr. Card has called his “wish list” of equipment and materials he feels is needed to operate effectively.

What the supervisor has inked into his request is a 1.8 percent increase in spending, he said.
As for the Deer & Tick Committee request for sufficient funds to take a three-pronged approach to tackling an increasing incidence of Lyme and other related diseases, Mr. Dougherty said he will get an expected $100,000 from New York State, enabling the town to put up 38 4-poster units in 2015. But he’s awaiting for more information from the committee on how much they want to fund culling of the deer herd and educating the public, both of which they believe is critical.

In the current budget, the town allotted $97,000, most of which was allocated for use in erecting and servicing the 4-posters. The state money was secured this year, but specifically earmarked only for 4-posters.
In drafting his proposed budget, Mr. Dougherty said all department chiefs have been “wonderfully helpful” with their individual requests.

The Town Board will begin budget meetings Monday, October 6, from 9 a.m. to noon and continue Wednesday, October 8, from 1 to 4 p.m. Meetings are also slated for Thursday and Friday, October 9 and 10, from 9 a.m. to noon each day.

Depending on progress that week, additional meetings could be held on Wednesday and Thursday, October 15 and 16, again from 9 a.m. to noon.