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Village of Lansing Trustees took a first look Monday at a $3.2 million budget for the next fiscal year.  The proposed budget would be 20.52% larger than last year's budget.  Mayor Donald Hartill says that is largely due to a $.5 million sidewalk project planned for the coming building cycle.  But he adds that the money for that project will come out of reserves.

"It does mean a little more money coming out of reserve funds," he said. "That's because of the Dart Road sidewalk. It's a big chunk of that.  It's a half a million dollars.  That's 20% in round numbers."

The tax rate is also going up by 10 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value.  But Hartill says this is the last year in a multi-year plan begun in 2016 to impose a tax rate that is sustainable in terms of services and capital expenses the Village must provide.

"There is a proposed tax rate increase from $1.40 per thousand to $1.50 per thousand," he said.  "That returns it back to the point where it should be.  My big mistake was reducing it from that because we were building up capital reserves.  You don't want to do that.  I reduced it too much and the Governor put in his tax cap.  So I've been slowly bringing it back to where it should be, which is a dollar fifty."

Another major project for this year is a $3,745,200 sewer extension along Cayuga Heights Road and from there up East Shore Drive to the Village Border, where it will attach to a new Town sewer that is also to be constructed. But Hartill noted that capital sewer projects are not part of the general fund.  Those projects are paid for, instead, by sewer fees and money that has been saved in a sewer reserve fund.  The total sewer fund is expected to be $4,650,075 in the coming year, up $14.29% from last year, with $2,624,433 coming from reserves.

Hartill says the Board of Trustees will have to pass a law to exceed the state imposed tax cap calculation this year.  But he adds that this is the last year the rate will go up by ten cents.

"It will level off," he says.  "It's still the lowest tax rate in New York State for the level of service we offer.  You want to keep that in mind."

While the proposed budget is only a first draft, Village officials typically make small adjustments before passing a final budget shortly before the April 23rd election day.

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