The Warren County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a November 17th, 2023 public hearing on a $192.8 million tentative budget for 2024 that would bring a countywide tax rate decrease for the fourth straight year.
The proposed spending plan is within the New York State property tax cap, and makes significant investments in highway improvements, financial support for SUNY Adirondack and funding for Capital District Transportation Authority while compensating for increases in NY State retirement costs, assigned counsel funding, Medicaid and personnel funding.
Under the tentative spending plan, the countywide property tax rate would decrease by $0.29 to $3.284 per $1,000 in assessed value. (Rates per municipality will vary based on equalization rate).
That equates to a $58.80 lower tax bill for a family with a home assessed at $200,000, thanks to a 5% increase in the countywide assessed value of real property.
Overall, higher costs for personnel, retirement and inflation-related expenditures resulted in a 4.8% spending increase for 2024. The overall property tax levy would increase $1.2 million.
Warren County will continue to have one of the lowest property tax burdens in New York State, while also having the lowest sales tax percentage (7%) in New York.
Highlights from the tentative budget:
- Allocates $4 million for paving county roads, continuing an effort to keep up with road maintenance needs.
- Deletes 13 full-time and six part-time positions, while adding six full-time positions, five of them funded with 72% state funding reimbursement.
- Increases funding for SUNY Adirondack to adjust to historically designated sponsorship levels.
Said Frank Thomas, Stony Creek Town Supervisor and Warren County Budget Officer: “Putting together a budget for 2024 was challenging, but we believe this spending plan preserves essential services for our residents and visitors while continuing to keep the tax burden low in Warren County. We have been cautious with our financial forecast but are confident this budget will protect the county’s long-term financial position.”
Said Kevin Geraghty, Warrensburg Supervisor and Chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors: “I would like to thank Budget Officer Frank Thomas and our Budget Team for their efforts in putting together a fiscally responsible budget that keeps property tax bills in check while doing our part to keep Warren County a safe place to live with a vibrant economy. We are seeing uncertain times economically, but this budget will keep us on strong financial footing for the foreseeable future.”
Warren County Administrator John Taflan said: “I’m pleased with the way this budget turned out. It was a challenging year and the Budget Team did a phenomenal job. This year’s expenses made us realize that we cannot continue to balance the budget by taking money from the General Fund Reserves. Thankfully we are in decent shape and should close out the year in a good position. We’ll just have to be cautious going forward.”
The Board of Supervisors will consider adopting the tentative budget following a public hearing at the November 17th, 2023, Board of Supervisors meeting, starting at 10 a.m.
A copy of Budget Officer Thomas’ presentation can be found online here. In addition, the presentation of the tentative budget can be watched in an archived video posted here on YouTube. The November 17th meeting will be livestreamed and videoarchived on the Warren County YouTube page as well.
A complete breakdown of the proposed budget can be found here.