by Kieron Kramer
The Berlin Town Board held a public hearing on the Town’s 2015 Budget at 6:30 pm on Thursday, November 13, an hour before the regular monthly meeting. The budget contains a 14.93% tax levy increase over 2014 and, combined with the modest 1.6% tax increase for the Fire District, will result in an increase of the tax rate per thousand of assessed value of $1.99, from $15.943 per thousand in 2014 to $17.933 in 2015. This means that a property owner will pay about $100 more on taxes in 2015 for property with an assessed value of $50,000.
[private]Only two people attended the public hearing. They said nothing. A 14.93% increase is massive and unheard of in this area. Had there been more in attendance the first question might have been “Are you crazy?” But even during the regular meeting no questions were asked or objections made before the Board voted unanimously to adopt the 2015 budget.
The useful question is “How did we get here?” Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger explained it during the public hearing and again in the regular meeting, which had the usual attendance, before the Board voted. The explanation will not lessen the pain for taxpayers, however.
The Town will appropriate $1,062,419. Expected revenues are $534,067. The amount applied from the unexpended fund balance is $40,000. This leaves $488,352 to be raised by taxes. In 2014 the amount to be raised by taxes was $424,926. So why is the tax increase $63,426. Even though the vast amount of appropriations is used in the Highway Fund, $396,920, the increase in this fund is only $10,710, or 2.8%, over 2014. The lighting district shows a $3,500 increase from $6,500 to $10,000. Jaeger said that this increase is the result of large increases in electric bills, but the Town may join an electric supply consortium that could reduce this amount.
The main culprit by far is the general fund which shows a tax levy increase of 152.8%, with the amount to be raised by taxes at $81,432, a $49,216 increase over last year when the amount to be raised was $32,216. Part of this increase can be accounted for by a $23,528 decrease in unexpended funds used to lower the tax rate – last year $63,528 was used, this year only $40,000. The main reason for this paltry amount used to offset taxes is that $78,300 was transferred from the general fund into the highway fund for 2015. It appears as revenue in the 2015 highway fund, offsetting taxes in that fund and holding the tax levy increase in that fund to 2.8%. Part of the interfund transfer is $20,000 from Water District #2, taken from what would have been considered the general fund unexpended balance. Jaeger explained that this will reimburse the Highway Fund for work done on behalf of Water District #2 by the Highway Department in 2015. The rest, $58,300, also comes from the general fund unexpended balance.
Jaeger said that this transfer was necessary because of the delay by NYS in the disbursement of CHIPs (Consolidated Highway Improvement Program) money. The disbursement will be made in March 2015. Jaeger said that about $130,000 has to be used by this year’s end to cover bills for highway projects, much of it relating to CHIPs projects. For instance, large bills from Abele Tractor for renting a roller and from Peckham’s for chip sealing material were voted at this meeting to be paid. So there is virtually no unexpended balance in the highway fund to be used in 2015. In 2014 the unexpended balance in the highway fund was $63,000. And $78,300 was transferred from the general fund to help cover these expenses, leaving a small unexpended fund balance in the general fund to be used in 2015. One question might be is will the general fund unexpended fund balance be restored once the CHIPs money is received and why wait to 2016 to offset taxes with it?
There are projected expenses for 2015 that also affected the general fund tax levy increase. Almost all the expense lines in the 2015 budget are the same as in the 2014 budget or match the amounts that will be actually spent in 2014. No one received raises except the highway employees who will receive a modest increase of between .7% and .8% as mandated by the union contract. Highway Superintendent Jim Winn will receive $650 more to keep ahead of the unionized employees, but $500 of it will be offset by a reduction in the equipment and contractual expenses lines. The Justices will also receive a small increase, $200 each, but that is also offset, completely, by a reduction in the Justices’ equipment line. The salaries of those working in the summer youth program will increase 5.3% due to the increase in the State minimum wage. These minimal raises will result in a slight increase in the mandated employee benefits, but the projection of health care benefits now shows only a 10% increase instead of the 14.7% expected by Jaeger. This will result in a 9.3% decrease in the budget for general fund employee benefits. There are other minor increases in expense lines. When all is said and done the Town expects to spend $21,213 more in 2015, a 4.9% increase.
The budgeted revenue also effects the bottom line in the general fund. There is a 22.7%, $28,500, decrease in revenue from garbage removal and refuse charges. This must reflect in part the lowering of the transfer station rental charged to Petersburgh. Rental of real property will decrease from 2014 as the only rental income budgeted is $6,000 from rental of garage space to the County. In 2014 $11,000 was budgeted. Counter balancing these and other decreases in revenue is $40,000 expected in 2015 from harvesting the Town’s forest, which is now determined to be 120 acres instead of the 90 acres as previously thought. “We won’t see that amount for another 20 years,” Jaeger said. There are other minor reductions in revenues for the general fund. When all is done, revenues for the general fund is $4,475 or 1.4% less than in 2014.
No matter what interfund transfers there are, the bottom line, and the pain to the taxpayers, remains the same – a 14.93% increase in the tax levy. In dollar amounts the general fund will require $81,432 more in taxes, the highway fund $396,920 more and the street lighting district $10,000 more – a $488,352 total.
The Regular Meeting
The regular Town Board meeting started at 7:30 pm as scheduled. And, as has been the case for a while, it was downright congenial. All the Board members were present, and there was candy. Before the meeting officially started Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger said that he had been up all night working on the budget. He did seem a bit frazzled, and, referring to the bear incident last month, he rambled a little bit about having “a fantastic” bear stew made by his wife Kathy. “Everyone thought it was beef stew,” he said. And then the congenial meeting started, and as it progressed it was obvious that there was not much to sink your teeth into.
There was no Water District #1 report from Len Clapp because that water system is closed for the season.
Water District #2 Supervisor Jim Winn said, “It is all quiet.” The Elm Street Bridge, which carries a water main to the east side of the Little Hoosic River, is open. Winn added that “there was a little issue on Main Street” but it has been cleared up. Stanley Pettibone, who has been trying to get his house on South Main Street hooked into the Water District system, has now been connected to the system. Pettibone had to detach the water supply from the spring behind his house that he has been using and install back flow valves. Winn said he has done this, and Winn checked with the County Health Department before hooking Pettibone into the water system.
As Highway Superintendent Jim Winn said, “The big push is on.” The crew has been mounting the plows and sanders on the Town trucks, “getting ready to go,” he said. All the CHIPs paperwork he has gotten so far has been sent in, but he thought the bills voted to be paid at this meeting, which he will file as soon as possible, won’t be reimbursed by CHIPs funding until March.
Code Enforcement Officer Allan Yerton reported that at year’s end there are “a mixed bag of projects going on.” He has chased down a couple of complaints, he said, one having to do with a septic system. The County Health Department has limited staff so trying to resolve these issues is difficult, Yerton said.
Planning Board Chair Pam Gerstel said that the next meeting of that Board would be on Thursday, December 4, and not on Thanksgiving. The regular December meeting will not be held because it falls on Christmas. The topic of the December 4 meeting will be a subdivision application by Donald French, Jr.
Director of the Youth Program, Tammy Osterhout, reported that there was “quite a small turnout” for the Halloween party on October 31 but “lots of cupcakes showed up.” “They appeared magically, without names, so I don’t know who to thank,” she said. About 40 kids came to the party in the Fire House, but there were about 200 outside trick or treating, she said.
Jaeger, reporting on the Board workshop on October 23, said that he had received the request from the Superintendent of Berlin Central Schools, Dr. Young, asking for the use of the parking space at the Town Complex to accommodate any overflow from the All County Music Festival at BCS on November 15. Jaeger also reported that there had been an inquiry by Board Member John Winn about the American Legion taking over the Watipi Building. “We have done some research on this,” Jaeger said.
New Hauler And New Hire At Transfer Station
Ivan Wager, Head Attendant, gave an extensive report on the Transfer Station. The biggest news is that the Town now has a new hauler – TAM Waste Management located on North Road in Shaftsbury, Vermont. Their rates are a little lower than Waste Management, he said. The Town has used Waste Management, out of Averill Park, NY, for years. Wager said he had visited the TAM facility for three hours on election day. They have 18 new trucks so there is no worry that a breakdown will impede the hauling. They even have a Berliner driving for them, Wager added. TAM is putting in a set of scales in Pownal and may have a recycling center in Pownal in the future, he said. Wager feels that this new company offers more flexibility in pick ups. He contacted the DEC and received a letter stating that there is no problem moving the waste across state lines. “The stuff will come back to New York State eventually,” he said. Not only are TAM’s trucking prices a little lower, but they will pay more money for cardboard to be recycled. Cardboard is now being stored at the Transfer Station until January 1 in order for the Town to receive the higher price.
Board Member Dean Maxon thanked Wager “for all the legwork” he did on this.
The second biggest news is that the Town Board approved the hiring of Arthur Moon to work at the Transfer Station at Wager’s recommendation. Only three people were interested in the work and two of them wanted too much part time, Wager said. Back up will be needed in January, when Wager goes south. He said he would do the paperwork in January by phone and check in every day.
The Board workshop that was scheduled for this month on Thanksgiving was cancelled. The Board gave Jaeger authorization to pay the health care bills that are presented at the end of the month.
Rama Lama Ding Dong
What would a Berlin Town Board meeting be without animal news. The only news from Dog Control Officer Doug Goodermote, aside from the statement that 90 animals had been inoculated at the Rabies clinic on October 17, was that he had received a dog call about a stray on Berlin Mountain. “It turned out to be a sheep,” Goodermote said. Actually it was a ram since others who saw it said it had horns. Since Goodermote is not a ram control officer, one wonders why he was called. But he dutifully tried to capture the ram. “It has four legs and outran me,” he said, “you’re not going to catch him.” Board Member Dean Maxon asked if Goodermote had shown the ram his badge (an ongoing joke at these Board meetings). Goodermote said he tried but couldn’t get close enough.
This may be a magic ram. It has been seen by Board Member Steve Riccardi and by people on Plank Road as well as on Berlin Mountain on the other side of Route 22. All witnesses concurred that the ram was big enough to fend off coyotes, which have been eating people’s pets and chickens in the area. The rampaging coyotes made people fear for the many wild turkeys in the area. “Small game season ends Friday,” someone said. Of course if the ram was a lamb its days would be numbered, but nobody in the room said they liked mutton. No one knows who the owner might be. So the question remains, “Great big ram, who made thee?”
In a rather macabre twist at the end of the meeting Jim Winn turned the topic to deer dying on the roadways; there have seen several incidents in the area. Sometimes people take the dead deer home to butcher. He told the story of a large deer carcass at the side of the road with a huge rack of antlers. (Whether this was a story told to Winn by someone else was not clear.) However, when the driver came back through the carcass was still there but the head was gone. “This was left over from Halloween,” Winn joked.
At this point people began to trail out of the meeting – but not with visions of sugar plums in their heads.[/private]