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Lansing's tax rate will be -2% compared to last year when tax bills go out for the 2009 budget.  You didn't misread that -- it really is a minus sign.  Lansing's Town Board approved the $4,822,544.91 budget after a public hearing Wednesday that will set the tax rate at $1.7978 per $1,000 of assessed value, down from $1.8345 last year.  Lansing Town Supervisor Scott Pinney says that is what is supposed to happen, because the overall valuation of properties in the Town has risen.

"If the tax rate stays the same we're collecting more money," he says.  "The valuations go up every year, but typically the tax rates also go up.  So everybody's getting hit twice.  You would hope that everybody would have a decrease in taxes with that valuation."

Historically Lansing has budgeted conservatively every year, tying any rises in the tax rate to the rise in the cost of living.  Over the past ten years the rate has ranged from a low of 2.43% in 2005 to a high of 4.47% in 2001.  There was no year when the tax rate remained at or below zero.  But in 2009 the Town tax rate will be more than 5% below last year's.

"The Town Board looked at this year as different from years in the past," Pinney says.  "The economy is in such a precarious situation and we felt we wanted to be proactive in making sure we have a good reserve fund and good fund balances for the upcoming years.  We looked at this year's budget right from the start to try to trim every department to the point where we felt we will still provide good services, but eliminate things that really weren't needed.  We looked at all the departments and programs that we fund individually."

That doesn't mean that the budget is lower than last year.  Actually it is $71,985 higher.  But with $51,866 more projected revenues in 2009 than in 2008, and a higher overall valuation of town properties, the tax levy -- the dollars taxpayers must pay -- is only up by $301,119.  That means that less per $1,000 is needed to raise the money needed in the levy, because theoretically more thousands are available in the Town to spread out the burden.

"My assessment of the budget process this year is that it was a very good one," says Bookkeeper/Personnel Officer Sharon Bowman.  "Scott and the Town Board did a great job getting up to speed, understanding, and taking time to meet all the departments to assess their real needs and evaluate the whole big picture.  If you look historically in the last eight to ten years, the prior boards did a very responsible job bringing the best bang for the buck to the taxpayers.  The end result with a tax decrease of two percent is not going to hurt us."


Of course that meant cuts to Town departments.  After budget requests from the various departments were collated, the Town Board made cuts and then met again with the departments to negotiate what would stay out, and what would be in.  The most significant cuts were to anticipated equipment purchases in the Parks and Rec and Highway departments, and cutting jobs.  Part time positions in the Parks and Rec and Highway Departments have been cut.  The full time Code Enforcement Officer position was changed to part time in the zoning office.  Dick Platt, who held that position, has resigned, and the Town does not plan to replace him.

"We'll certainly miss Dick," Pinney says.  "He did a good job here.  But we felt that position should be part time at this point.  That office has been restructured.  (Engineering and Planning Coordinator) Jeff Overstrom is doing an excellent job for us.  I think he's going to save the Town a tremendous amount of money.  He said he can manage the office without that position being filled, and I have full confidence in him."

One decision that helped the bottom line was the switch from the SPCA to Country Acres for dog control.  If the more expensive SPCA contract had been accepted town officials say it would have accounted for almost 1% of the total budget.  "That certainly helped make the tax rate a negative number," Pinney says.  "Everything that you can cut has an impact, and everything that you add has an impact.  If you cut $100 here or $1,000 there, or add that it has an impact."

Department heads are naturally nervous about cuts, but say they are pleased with the process and how thoroughly the Town board looked at every line item.   Highway Superintendent Jack French says that roadside mowing will be reduced largely as a result of the loss of the part time position in his department.

 "If we're concerned about one thing it is that the projected revenues for next year," says Park Superintendent and Recreation Director Steve Colt.  "Any time you project revenues it's an educated guess.  In these economic times when people have to make decisions about how much they can spend, we could potentially be in the situation where we estimated revenues that we might not be able to hit.

"It could happen any year, but lets face it -- this isn't a year like any year.  In recreation we're talking about camping, boating... when gas prices go up or people lose their job they sell their boats.  Or they don't use them as much.   I just hope we've all been conservative enough to cover our projections.  Other than that it was fair.  They looked at everything and did what they needed to do."

Pinney says that the Board has talked about adopting a five year plan to try to predict expenses and equipment and capital needs of the Town going forward.  He says that having a drop in the tax rate could have hidden consequences if the Board doesn't plan carefully.  "The Town Board wants to be careful about coming up with a negative number," he says.  "If you have a -2% tax rate rise this year you don't want to end up with a 7% rise next year.  However I feel we did a good job of getting all the departments what they need, but not what they want, per se.  If we can keep to that plan next year I hope we can budget at 0% then."

One of the greatest fiscal uncertainties the Town faces is the cost of snow and ice removal.  A harsh winter could cost the Town a huge amount, or a very mild winter could mean collecting more in taxes than is needed.  But Pinney says that the Highway Superintendent is very experienced in predicting how much cash he will need.  "Jack French has been doing it for so long that he has a really good understanding (of the uncertainties)," he says.  "He anticipates higher, and with the salt storage building we can store some extra salt.  So we're ahead of the game if we have a really harsh winter."

Pinney says nothing was taken out of the budget that he is unhappy about.  In fact he says he would have liked to have cut more.  But he insists that the services and quality of those services will not be impacted.  "I believe we will still have the same level of services we have had in the past," he says.

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