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Mayor Donald Hartill announced Monday that the Village will be lowering its tax rate from $1.21 to $0.99 per $1,000 of assessed value.  Hartill says that the tax reduction is a result of the Village completing a series of major capital projects.   That means that most of the $2,446,197 budget will go toward maintaining village roads and services.

"I feel very comfortable in reducing our tax rate," Hartill told Village Trustees.  "One other village is close to our tax rate.  We either have the lowest village tax rate in New York State or close to the lowest.  I am quite pleased about that, especially since our roads don't have pot holes, and our water goes where it's supposed to go."

Major capital projects included the Triphammer Road reconstruction project, a new Department of Public Works garage, and the new Village Hall that is scheduled to be constructed this year.  $549,651 of the approximately $700,000 Village Hall cost will come out of capital reserves.  That project is subject to a permissive referendum, but Hartill says that no additional taxes will be needed to complete the building.

This year the Town of Lansing also reduced taxes, and Town officials said they would seek to reduce them again next year.  Hartill says that even with the reduced tax rate the Village will be able to maintain Village roads and services.

"The bottom line is I looked at our ongoing expenses," he said.  "The reason we have a healthy capital reserve fund is that we have been building that up over the years in anticipation of all the capital projects that we've been engaged in.  We're at the end of the line on those capital projects.  I looked at our ongoing expenses and determined an appropriate tax rate."

A public hearing will be held April 16th at 7:35 before the Trustees approve the final budget.

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