COXSACKIE — Officials adopted a $1.7 million budget for the village Thursday with a 0% tax increase.
“This new budget will have 0% budget increase for the budget year starting June 1, 2021,” Mayor Mark Evans said in a statement. “We felt it was critical with the very difficult year we have been through with COVID-19 to hold the line on taxes and spending.”
The board adopted the budget at its Thursday meeting.
The tax levy will rise by less than $12,000 compared to last year, from $1,396,633 in the 2020-21 budget to $1,408,231 in the coming year, according to the budget.
For a village homeowner with a property assessed at $100,000, the tax rate will remain steady this year at $13.22 for every $1,000 of the assessed value.
There will be no cuts in services, Evans said.
“The goal was to preserve all services and programs and we were able to do that,” he said. “With sound fiscal policy, oversight and most importantly planning, we have been able to maintain services and programs while making sure all our departments have the necessary personnel, equipment and vehicles to carry out their duties.”
Water and sewer rates will also remain unchanged. The water budget is $1.4 million and the sewer budget is $1.3 million, and will include payments on planned capital projects.
“The water and sewer funds are funded by user fees. In the water fund, as we get the new water tank built, hopefully sometime in the next year, we will have a payment to the EFC (Environmental Facilities Corporation) projected to be $51,000 each year for 30 years,” Evans said.
The water tank project is expected to cost $3 million.
The village continues to work on upgrading the sewer plant, and the budget anticipates debt payments for the project.
“In the sewer fund, as we finish the sewer plant upgrade, we will have a loan payment due to EFC starting at some point this year, probably July or August, of $564,251,” Evans said. “That is projected right now. We won’t know for a while longer the precise amount, but that is a pretty accurate projection.”
A portion of the $17 million upgrade bill will be footed by the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision for its use of the sewer system.
“They will be signing a new agreement with us and they will be providing a payment each year, projected, of $289,343 to help defray the cost of that upgrade,” Evans said at Thursday’s meeting.
In addition to the water and sewer projects, the village board also anticipates sidewalk replacements and work on the downtown revitalization project this fiscal year, Evans said.