Sackets to raise water, sewer rates but will lower taxes again

SACKETS HARBOR — The village Board of Trustees will raise water and sewer rates and cut the tax rate slightly in the coming fiscal year, according to its 2009-10 budget proposal.

The board will hold a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. today at the town office.

"We lowered the tax rate a quarter last year and we're proposing to do it again," said Mayor F. Eric Constance. "Part of it is to overcome some of the water and sewer rate increases we'll have to make."

Under the proposed budget, the tax levy would drop 1.05 percent from $415,811 for 2008-09 to $411,445 said Treasurer James E. Yuhas.

That reflects the village board's decision to lower the tax rate from $6.75 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to $6.50 per $1,000, Mr. Yuhas and Mr. Constance said.

Under the proposed budget, quarterly minimum water bills would rise from $105 to $120. The additional usage charge, which kicks in for quarterly usage above 3,000 gallons, would double, from of 15 cents to 30 cents per 100 gallons.

Quarterly sewer bills would rise from $115 per quarter to $125 per quarter under the plan.

"The sewer's going up because of our application for a new sewer plant and the need to hit new target service cost criteria," the mayor said. To be eligible for sewer project financing, the state mandates municipalities meet certain per-user cost criteria, which village rates are currently below.

The new water and sewer rates, if approved, would be applied to usage beginning June 1 and show up on bills in September, Mr. Yuhas said.

The village's expenditures in the 2009-10 budget proposal total $1,500,090, a drop of 14.5 percent from the 2008-09 budgeted expense figure of $1,755,775.

Working in the village's financial favor are:

■ A growing tax base — up 2.76 percent from $61,601,613 in 2007 to $63,299,245 in 2008, according to Jefferson County Real Property Tax Services Director Paul J. Warneck.

■ Low police costs because of a staff shortage. In 2007-08, the village had $87,500 budgeted for police, but actual expenses that year and the next came in at around $68,000. This year, that will drop to closer to $50,000, Mr. Constance said. The village has been decreasing its budget figures for police to reflect that, with $65,000 budgeted for 2009-10.

On the negative side, budget revenues will be hit by a drop of $15,000 from this year.