Archive: News

Village of Lansing Trustees put finishing touches on a $3,846,704  budget for the next fiscal year.  The budget includes a tax levy, or the amount collected from village property owners, that is $892 less than last year's levy.  The tax rate, the amount of money taxed per $1,000 of property value, will go up by two cents this year, rising from $1.99 to $1.21.

"We're in reasonably decent financial condition," says Village Mayor Donald Hartill.  "We can keep the tax levy the same as last year.  We're probably unique in New York State in being able to do that.  Compare it to the tax levy increases in every other municipality or government body around the county and the region."

The total property tax to be collected for 2011-12 is $549,637.  That does not include sewer and water fees that are also invoiced on the annual tax bill.

The budget includes a 3% raise for full time employees and ongoing expenses such as plowing, road maintenance, and so on.  Capital projects are also planned for the next fiscal year, but Hartill says they will not cost taxpayers additional taxes because of long term planning and prudent money management.


This year the Village plans to remove the old concrete water tower that recently was taken out of service.  Hartill plans to build a new Village office building on that site.  He says that Village residents will not have to ante up more tax money to pay for the projects, because the money is already in the bank.

"We do not go into debt to build buildings," Hartill says.  "That's also unique.  It comes from growing up on a hard scrambled dairy farm in eastern Washington."

Hartill says that the projects will be paid for by carry-over funds (appropriated cash surplus) that were not spent from this year's budget, and healthy capital reserve funds (the general reserve fund stands at $5 million today).  In fact he says the capital reserve funds are so healthy that the new budget does not allot new money for them.  That frees the carry-over money to be used for the new building, with reserves to back it up if costs are higher than expected.

"We do not anticipate hitting the reserves in a serious way," Hartill says.

Village capital reserves have been built up over the course of several years.  As road and other projects sometimes are pushed into the following year's budgets, unspent money was reassigned to the reserve.  But Hartill says that the capital reserves are so healthy now that they do not need to replenish them this year.  Money that would have gone into the reserves will pay for the new office building.

Other projects include a water line on Cayuga Heights Road, and about a mile of road maintenance.  The Village maintains a total of about 18 miles of roadways altogether.


In addition the road that runs from the Bolton Estates development to Cayuga Lake will be conveyed to the Village, which will now be responsible for its maintenance.  That road leads to Poison Ivy Point, which the developer is now conveying to the Village as well.  Trustees envision the point as a Village park.  Now that they have the access road and the land itself, the last hurdle is that it is illegal to cross the railroad tracks to walk onto the point from the roadway.  Hartill has said he will pursue that with Norfolk Southern Railroad to see if an accommodation can be made.  Meanwhile the park is legally accessible by boat.

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for April 4th at 7:35.  Trustees are expected to vote to accept the budget at that time.

v7i12