On the revenue side, the budget anticipates an increase of nearly $30,000, to a total of $47,520, in rent paid by the three carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon — that provide cellular service from the town-owned tower at California Quarry. The town also realizes rental income from Time Warner Cable for its Woodstock facility.
Most of the proposed 3.7 percent spending increase for the highway fund is attributable to two factors: the restoration of a $60,000 line item for equipment, which had been cut to $40,000 for 2012, and a hike of more than $20,000 for retirement benefits. Without those increases, said Wilber, the levy for the highway fund would have risen by less than 1 percent. The supervisor added that the Highway Department budget for 2012 is expected to show a surplus at the end of the year.
Townwide levy
Apart from supporting the general-fund and highway-fund portions of the town budget, all taxpayers fund the budget of the library district, which is subject to voter approval, and that of the fire district, which is not. Taxation for those four budgetary components — the general fund, the highway fund, the library district budget, and the fire district budget — is known as the townwide levy.
Voters in September approved a $545,000 spending plan for the library; the budget’s tax increase of 2 percent complies with the state cap. The fire district has proposed a budget of approximately $1.25 million, with an accompanying tax hike of about 2.98 percent. The tax increase meets the terms of the state cap, according to fire district officials (see Woodstock Times, October 4). A public hearing on the fire district budget is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, at the Company No. 1 firehouse, 242 Tinker Street.
According to Wilber’s calculations in the message accompanying the tentative budget, the townwide levy would increase by $62,305 in 2013 from the current level, amounting to a tax hike of 0.92 percent. That computation assumes adoption of the fire district budget in its current, proposed form. The Board of Fire Commissioners, which prepares the budget and otherwise oversees the affairs of the district, may approve a final budget at the close of the upcoming public hearing, depending on the outcome of the hearing. The deadline for the adoption of a final budget is November 4.
Wilber also calculated the tax impact of a budget that includes the general and highway funds and the special districts, but excludes the library and fire districts’ budgets. In that scenario the tax levy would increase by $20,174 over the amount collected in 2012, translating into a tax hike of 0.37 percent. When all budgetary components, including the library, fire, and special districts, are factored into the calculation, the tax levy increases by 0.69 percent, reflecting a gain of $65,535 in the amount collected.
In an October 9 e-mail exchange, Wilber was asked to describe the philosophy or principles that informed the choices reflected in the tentative budget. “Maintain services people have come to expect, while trying to show fairness to both the town employees and taxpayers,” he replied.
