PENDLETON: Town board adopts status quo budget

Local News

November 4, 2009

Staff Reports The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Wed Nov 04, 2009, 11:55 PM EST

PENDLETON — The town board adopted a status quo 2010 budget Wednesday night.

The $4.3 million spending plan anticipates a nickel increase in the fire tax. The highway tax is down a penny per $1,000 of assessed value, while water tax and the per-unit refuse pickup fee will be held steady.

The fire tax will rise to 99 cents from 94 cents due to a increase in the amount of money the town has to put into its firefighters’ pension fund next year, Supervisor Jim Riester said. That vested fund lost money last year, just like the state Employee Retirement System did. The town will forward $200,000 to the fund for retired volunteer firefighters, up $14,000 from the amount it paid this year.

Overall, the budget anticipates town spending will rise about $300,000 next year. The board agreed to dip into fund balances to close the gap between spending and income.

Generally, cost increases are tied to employee-related costs: average 3-percent raises for town employees except town board members, in addition to a roughly 50 percent increase in the amount the town must pay into the employees’ pension fund.

The increases are covered somewhat by projected reduced spending on liability insurance and fuel, according to Bergman.

The sole new spending line in the budget is $20,000 for bike paths maintenance. The line was created to avoid the highway department budget from being hit with maintenance expenses. It’s pretty much just a number, as there’s no expectation maintenance will cost that amount, Riester said. It’ll be adjusted in 2011 according to actual spending next year. Addition of the line does not cost taxpayers, he added, since there is no property tax levied to finance general town administration; sales and mortgage tax are the two largest sources of revenue to finance town operations exclusive of the highway department and special districts.

The highway tax will be cut to 54 cents per $1,000 of property value from 55 cents this year.

The refuse disposal fee will remain $183 per home.

The water tax will remain 29 cents per $1,000 of property value in town water district No. 1, and 25 cents in district No. 2.

Some property owners face an increase in their 2010 tax bill even though tax rates are flat. Overall assessed value of the town increased $7.6 million, to $446.4 million, in the past year, according to Bergman’s figures.

Sewer users will see an increase of $25.65 per grinder pump unit on their property, to build savings for repairs in three sewer districts, Bergman said. Townwide, there are about 650 sewer users.

Text Only

Local News

WIlson jumps on the 'bin wagon'
Modern Recycling’s upgraded plan has received a warm response some town residents.
The town plans to go from 14-gallon open bins to 65-gallon carts with lids in April. Modern representatives explained the project, put the recycling truck in action and showed of three 32-pound blue and green carts that can withstand 43 mph winds.
The display carts had transparent sides in order to let the residents know the variety of materials that can be recycled.

February 9, 2012
Reform agenda touted
Empire State Development Corporation executive Sam Hoyt visited Lockport on Wednesday to tout Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s state budget and government reform plans.
Changing the way the state does business will bring fiscal relief to counties, cities and towns, eventually, Hoyt suggested.
It’s too bad the reforms won’t kick in before municipalities like the City of Lockport begin confronting fiscal crises, Mayor Michael Tucker said in response.

February 9, 2012 2 Photos
Tucker: 'Best days lie ahead'
The City of Lockport government is smaller than it was 18 months ago but is in a stronger financial place, Mayor Michael W. Tucker said in his annual State of the City address.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
Trio of new classes proposed for Newfane
Newfane High School could have three new business courses in the fall, one of which would center on video game design.

February 8, 2012
Municipalities take wait-and-see approach on SPCA funding
The City and Town of Lockport are each withholding payments to the Niagara SPCA, while other Eastern Niagara County towns are taking a wait-and-see approach.

February 7, 2012 1 Photo 2 Stories
Rocky II
Friends of Deputy Craig Beiter of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department plan a benefit on Feb. 26 to raise money to buy and train a new dog for the K-9 Unit.
Beiter’s German shepherd, Deputy Rocky, was killed while on duty in December, and the sheriff’s department is close to getting a replacement.

February 6, 2012 1 Photo 2 Stories
Basket Factory closes
The Basket Factory has gone out of business.
The owners, Julie Thompson Riegle and Dawn Thompson, made the difficult decision last Monday and put the sign on the door Tuesday.

February 6, 2012
No snow is no problem
Unseasonably warm weather didn’t keep Roy-Hart Winterfest from being a fun day for the families who came out to Roy-Hart Elementary School on Saturday.
More than 500 people attended the third annual festivities, which Gasport Lions Club officials said was a big increase from last year. The halls of Roy-Hart Elementary were filled with vendors, programs and movement as excited children rushed from one activity to another.

February 6, 2012
Shovel-ready park has perks
At first glance, the big, orange road sign announcing vacant property on Lockport Road as a “shovel ready certified” building site seems a bit gratuitous.
To companies looking for new places to launch a business, it’s not. The sign in their eyes is a welcome mat, for in three words a community pronounced itself ready, willing and able to make a deal quickly.

February 3, 2012 1 Photo
Roy-Hart to play the big stage
A group of local students will be performing this month at Kleinhans Music Hall just before a BPO concert.
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra will welcome the Royalton-Hartland High School Mixed Chorus as part of the BPO’s Community Spotlight program on Feb. 19 at Kleinhans in Buffalo. The chorus will perform under the direction of Carolyn Unitas Roos and accompanied by Janice McKinney.

February 3, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

PENDLETON: Town board adopts status quo budget

Site Map

Contact Us