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The Lansing Town Council passed its $4,249,808 2012 budget 3-2 after a short public hearing Wednesday.  The budget will reduce the town's tax levy by .0833%.  Most significantly the tax rate will be lowered by 15% from $1.6241 per $1,000 of assessed property value this year to $1.3805.

Because of reduced expenditures over the past four years that have resulted in an unexpended fund balance that is expected to be significantly more than twice the size the council has agreed it should be, board members agreed that some of the money should be used to reduce the tax rate over the next three years.  At issue was the amount of the tax drop.

Originally Councilman Robert Cree calculated that the Town could afford a 44.15% tax rate drop.  He explained that new money would continue to go into the fund balance, leaving the town in good fiscal shape.  Concerns about unknown factors such as the impact of hydrofracking on Lansing and the diminishing property value of the AES Cayuga power plant led board members to agree to a 33% drop a few weeks ago.

But further study and discussion brought Supervisor-elect Kathy Miller down to a 15% drop this year.  Deputy Supervisor Connie Wilcox and Councilman Marty Christopher agreed.

Cree has said that more money should go back to taxpayers, noting that it is taxpayers' money, not the Town's.  Supervisor Scott Pinney agreed.  Two weeks ago both were comfortable with a 33% drop for 2012 with the idea that additional drops would be considered for 2013 and 2014.  But last week the council voted 3-1 (Pinney was unable to make that meeting) to present a budget that included a 15% tax rate drop to the public for comment.

After no public comment, the board voted 3-2 to accept the budget with Cree and Pinney voting no.

They also approved budgets for ten special districts, including water, sewer, and lighting districts in various town locations.  That money is separate from the overall town budget because only residents who live within the districts pay those fees.

$541,181 of four unexpended fund balance accounts will be used to reduce the town tax rate, and $1,200 of lighting district fund balance will reduce rates in those districts.

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