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The Dryden Town Board is proposing a 2018 budget that stays under the state tax levy cap, reduces the tax levy, reduces the tax rate by 3.6 cents per thousand, and reduces the town wide tax levy for the four main town funds by $14,000.

Supervisor Jason Leifer says, "The 2018 budget is a success and we delivered on our promise to expand the tax base. This budget will lower individual property tax bills for Dryden residents and businesses."

The 2018 budget also includes funding for nineteen special districts. Special district budgets only affect properties that benefit from municipal fire, ambulance, water, sewer, or lighting services but do count towards the town wide tax levy cap. As more of the approximately $65 million of new development approved by the Town Board since 2015 comes on to the tax rolls the Town expects to receive more revenue from both property taxes and planning department permit fees.

Additions to the Town's 2018 budget from the 2017 budget include restoring funding to the Southworth Library, Highway Department increases, funding to build a new Town website, increases in health insurance premiums, and increasing the hours for the Supervisor's Office secretary. The Board proposed increasing the hours for the Supervisor's Office secretary to allow for increased communications with residents, more time to manage the town website, time to work with the new revolving small business loan fund, and to provide administrative services to the recreation department. The increase in hours was made possible in part due to the savings the Supervisor's Office was able to extract from vendors during the 2017 budget year that were worth over $15,000. These savings included changing workers compensation insurance providers and changing energy suppliers.

In order to save the Town Budget even more money, the town is in discussions with Tompkins County to have the County assume the local share of the cost for the work on the Freese Road and George Road Bridges, both of which are covered by the $3.6 million Bridge NY grant that the Town of Dryden received in January 2017. If the county assumes the local share of the cost the Town will save approximately $191,000. The Bridge NY Grant funded 95% of the Town's $3.8 million-dollar request. The Town of Dryden has the most roads and bridges of all of the Towns in Tompkins County. Approximately two-thirds of the town budget is allocated to the Town of Dryden Highway and DPW departments.

The Public Hearing on the 2018 Budget is scheduled for Thursday November 9, 2017, at 7:00pm.

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