Berlin Budget Holds The Line At A 1.8% Tax Increase

by Kieron Kramer
At the Town Board meeting on November 11, the Berlin Town Board voted 3-2 to adopt the 2011 budget with a 1.8% tax levy increase when combined with the budget for the Berlin Fire District. Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger and Board Members Carl Greene and Sheila Hewitt voted to approve the budget; Board Members Richard von Schilgen and James Saunders voted no. The total amount of projected expenditures, including $204,855 for the Fire District, comes to $585,270.
The lion’s share of the amount to be raised by taxes funds the Highway Department which has only CHIPS money as its revenue stream. The Highway Fund budget projects an increase of 1.8% at its bottom line by using $40,000 from the unexpended balance; $25,000 was budgeted last year. The Highway fund will collect $349,410 through taxes, only $6,196 more than last year.
The General Fund will use $61,400 of unexpended balance, the same amount as last year. In dollar amounts the increase in the General Fund budget is small potatoes – only $2,992, but it represents a 13.9% increase.
The Fire District will raise $204,855 through taxes, $1,400 more than last year or a .7% increase.
The two water districts are essentially fully funded by water bills in the case of Water District #2 and by a water tax surcharge in the case of Water District #1, which services the seasonal camps in the Taborton area. The budget for the street lighting district stays the same.
In spite of the fact that the Highway Fund budget increased by only $6,196 a heated and brief debate centered on the installment purchase line in the Highway Fund. This line was set at $19,000 in anticipation of purchasing a new tandem dump truck to replace the oldest truck in the fleet which is 14 years old and has 135,000 miles on it. In the 2010 budget $13,801 was appropriated on that line to pay the last installment on the truck purchased five years ago. The increase in the 2011 budget on that line is $5,199, close to the entire increase in the amount to be raised by taxes in the Highway Fund. Jaeger suggested that this is the time to purchase a new truck before the old truck loses any more of its trade-in value. Another issue is that the increased regulations controlling diesel exhaust will make trucks more expensive in coming years. Saunders expressed his complete opposition to purchasing a new truck in 2011.
The Highway personnel will receive a 3% increase in  wages. So will the Town Supervisor’s bookkeeper, $250. Highway Superintendent Jim Winn will receive a 3.7% increase in pay, $1,148. The two Justices will receive an increase of $625 between them, a 3.7% increase. The Tax Collector will receive $100 more, up 3.3%. The three assessors will receive a total of $600 more, up 3.4%. The Dog Control Officer will receive $300 more, a 5.8% increase. The Town Clerk will receive $430 more, a 4.6% increase. Jaeger explained that the Clerk’s increase was necessitated by the increased responsibilities Anne Maxon will have administering the Dog Licensing function that has been turned over to the towns by the State. A revenue increase of $1,675 is projected in dog licensing fees in the 2011 budget.
A 5.5% increase in medical insurance costs increases both the Highway and General Fund appropriations. State retirement fund contributions will amount to a $4,249 increase (70%) in the General Fund and a $3,655 increase (41.1%) in the Highway Fund appropriations.
Most Town Officials are not taking an increase in pay. The Supervisor and the Board Members, the Town Attorney, the Code Enforcement Officer, the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Members remain at the same level as last year.
Most of the programs funded in the General Fund remain the same. The Youth program, however, has been decreased by $3,488 (-76%) because attendance in the program is down and the numbers don’t warrant five counselors. The Board decided that two counselors and the Director can handle the 30 to 35 kids who attend the activities in the summer. The Library requested $1,400 but received $250, which is still a 3.4% increase over last year. For the first time the Beautification Committee will receive $600 to help with their expenses in the gladioli project.
In anticipation of more legal expenses, an increase of $3,300 (132%) was appropriated for the ZBA. The Planning Board received $2,500 more (9%) to pay for the legal consultations needed to develop the windmill law.
In addition to the projected increase in dog licensing revenue, increased revenue is expected from ZBA fees, $5,000, and Planning Board fees, $500. Garbage and refuse revenues are expected to increase by $5,000 or 4.2%. However, these revenue increases are partially offset by a decrease in mortgage tax revenue of $5,000 (-25%), in fines and penalties of $900 and in state aid to the youth program of $500 (-25%).
This all translates into a tax rate of 26.7 cents more per $1,000 of assessed value. The owner of property assessed at 100,000 can expect to pay $26.74 more in property and fire taxes next year.
Dog Licensing Law
The Town Board passed Local Law #2 of 2010, a local law regulating the licensing of dogs, unanimously. The law will take effect immediately upon filing with the NY Department of State even though the State mandates that the function be taken over on January 1, 2011.
Berlin’s law requires the owner of any dog reaching the age of four months to have the dog licensed. A proof of rabies vaccination must be presented at that time. The license is valid for one year, but no license shall be issued to expire after the expiration of the rabies vaccination. The dog owner must notify the Town Clerk of a change of address, of ownership or of the death of the licensed dog. Failure to renew a license will result in a warning notification and, if renewal is not made within 5 days, will result in the issuance of a court appearance ticket. Any dog found in violation of not having been vaccinated will be impounded, and any dog unredeemed after 5 days shall be made available for adoption. Violators will be subject to a minimum fine of $50 and a maximum fine of $250 per dog per violation. This law sets the fee for the license at $10, including the State surcharge of $1, for a spayed or neutered dog and at $17, including the State surcharge of $3, for an un-spayed or un-neutered dog.
Public hearings were held on the 2011 budget and the Dog Licensing Law beginning at 7 pm before the regular meeting.
In other business:
• Jim Winn reported that “all is quiet” on the Water District #2 front.
• It was announced that the bridgework on Southeast Hollow Road is almost completed. Von Schilgen thanked Marty Gorman for the use of his property during the construction work. “It would be nice to get in there and restore it to its previous condition,” he said. Winn replied, “That’s what we expect to do.” Thanks were also given to the County, Stephentown and Nassau highway departments for their help with the project. Everyone agrees that the overflow pipe looks ridiculous. “It makes the DEC happy,” said Winn.
• Dog Control Officer Doug Goodermote announced that 75 dogs received rabies vaccinations and 50 received parvo shots at the rabies clinic last month. He picked up two dogs; one is still looking for a home, he said.
• Code Enforcement Officer Allen Yerton said that he had been at several training conferences, one in Port Ewen near Kingston, which, he said, had recently built a town hall for $2.1 million. He reported that minimum requirements for roof insulation is now R-38, about 10 inches of insulation, that incandescent light bulbs will no longer be available in 2012 and that people will have to store them up or use compact fluorescent or LED bulbs at that time.
• It was announced that the road to the cell tower location in Cherry Plain has been completed, the excavation and concrete work has been done and the tower has arrived on site. Yerton said that Mariner Tower and Tim Giumarra and his crew worked very well together at a very tough site. Giumarra put in the road and did the excavation work.
• Yerton also announced that he is considering offering a clinic to the general public if enough people are interested. The clinic would provide information on what projects need permits and how to get the permit.
• Jaeger announced that the ZBA has requested a one year moratorium on hydrofracking (hydraulic fracturing) in Berlin. Jaeger said, “At one time Berlin was a potential site for gas exploration.”
• Regarding the windmill law, von Schilgen claimed that the Planning Board has done no research and is just using the Grafton law. “If Berlin wants a wind farm in the future there should be more information [gathered],” he said.
• Ivan Wagar reported that the new lights have been installed at the Transfer Station but that the container repairs have not yet been done.
• Supervisor Jaeger reported that the Town Historian has posted an excellent article on the “Crow’s Nest” on the Town website (http://berlin-ny.us/) and will do more articles.
• Assessor Allen Yerton reported that there are no changes to the tax roll.
• Tammy Osterhout said that the Watipi Building still has a severe mold problem.
• Bruce Hake suggested that there be a central location for the Town laws like the sidewalk snow clearing ordinance, the 911 numbering law, the snow emergency parking law and the brand new dog law to make them available to the public. Jaeger suggested that the website would be the appropriate place to post the Town laws.
Greene Resigning
At the end of the meeting Carl Greene asked for an executive session to “discuss a personnel matter.” In a telephone interview after the meeting Jaeger said that no resolutions had been passed and no announcement made after the executive session.
Rumors had been circulating that Deputy Town Supervisor Carl Greene was going to resign from the Board in January in  order to pursue his career as a pastor.  This was confirmed the next week when Greene’s brother, John Greene, resigned from the presidency of the Berlin Central School Board in order work more at the Greenes’ Mapledale Farm because his brother will be away in the ministry. If the executive session was called for Greene to inform the Board of his decision to resign then it was a public matter and should have been discussed in the open meeting.
It Keeps On Coming
One ramification of Greene’s resignation is that, unless his seat is filled in January, there will be only four members on the Board when the final vote to purchase the Berlin Lumber property takes place next year. If this is the case an outright defeat or a 2-2 deadlock is likely. How many lawyers, amateur and otherwise, will it take to sort that out?