Norfolk water, sewer rates rise

NORFOLK — The Town Council has passed a 2011 budget that will raise less money from taxes but enact a sharp increase in water and sewer rates.

Ratepayers in the town's water and sewer districts will have an annual increase of $40 each for their water and sewer bills next year. They now pay about $36 quarterly or $144 annually in water user fees, according to Supervisor Charles A. Pernice. Those in the town's sewer district pay $43 quarterly or $172 annually in user fees.

The hikes would mean a total annual cost of $184 in water fees and $212 in sewer fees. The hikes are needed pay for a $1.6 million water improvement project and a $5 million sewer project the town is mandated to undertake over the next couple of years, Mr. Pernice said.

The total size of the town's operating budget increased about $22,000, from $2,459,982 in 2010 to $2,481,861 in 2011. The levy, or amount to be raised by taxes, for the general and highway funds is $546,84, a decrease of $44,857 from the $591,702 raised in 2010.

The town's assessed value increased from $137,111,157 in 2010 to $139,349,588 in 2011. Norfolk's tax rate dropped from $2.08 per $1,000 of assessed value this year to $1.90 per $1,000 in 2011, according to Jane B. Powers, director of the county's Real Property Tax Office.

A Norfolk property owner with a $100,000 house will pay approximately $190 in property taxes in 2011, down from $208 this year.

The town board also voted in an approximately 2 percent pay increase for all town employees, including the supervisor and the board members.

Mr. Pernice said he was pleased with the outcome of the town's budget.

"If you could just keep that level year to year, you're doing a good job," he said.

As part of its budget, the Town Council also approved some cost-cutting measures. It voted 3-2 to cut its appropriation to the town library by $5,000. Council members Jean M. Gang and Donald I. Purvis dissented.

Mr. Pernice said he felt the reduction was necessary. The library hadn't provided financial reports for the town in years, he said. When it did, it showed a surplus of $6,000, he said. The library hadn't taken a budget cut in more than 20 years, and Mr.Pernice said the time had come for the library to use some of its surplus.

Mr. Pernice also was able to reduce liability expenses budgeted for town vehicles by $25,000. Health care and retirement costs crept up slightly in Norfolk for 2011, but pale in comparison with the problems that larger communities with bigger staffs face, Mr. Pernice said.