By John Addyman
MARION (Oct 18 10) – Based on the tentative 2011 budget due for passage on Nov. 1, the Town of Marion will call for a one percent tax decrease.
“We’ve done a lot of belt-tightening,” said Supervisor Jody Bender today. She said most of the capital projects the town has been involved in for the past several years are winding down or basically completed. New parks, pavilions and ball fields are now functional.
“Our department heads did a nice job of not asking for increases,” Bender added. “We’re in a really good spot for such a tough year.”
The budget calls for appropriations of $1.8 million ($836,748 for general government, $879,906 for highways and $133,066 for the library), with revenues totaling $661,000. The town board plans to use fund balances to keep the tax rate lower -- $83,000 from the general fund, $89,000 from the highway fund, and $3,000 from the library fund. The remainder to be raised by tax levy is $282,263 for the general fund, $615,406 for highways, and $115,512 for the library.
Marion’s tax rate is divided into those general accounts -- $1.37/$1,000 of assessed valuation for the general fund, $2.98/$1,000 for highway and $0.56/$1,000 for the library – a total of $4.91. Last year’s tax rate was $4.95.
Town employees will see a one percent salary increase, with the town board and supervisor salaries remaining the same as last year (Bender is paid $23,961; the four board members together are paid $17,246).
Bender said retirement costs have gone up for the town because the state is asking for more money to fund the system, and the town has seen some employees opt into the program. The general government section of the budget has a $57,867 payment to the state retirement system, the highway fund has set aside $35,516, and the library fund, $8,402 – a total of $101,785.
She also noted that the library, which is a source of town pride after opening in 2001, gets no financial assistance from the school district. She noted that the Lyons library draws a $407,000 contribution from that school district, while the Newark library pulls in $463,000 from its school district.
The board has created a new part-time position, that of IT Coordinator, a two-hours-a-week job to maintain the town’s website, which will be accomplished by a person in the sewer authority who will take two hours out of that job to do web stuff.
Marion Volunteer Ambulance will receive a $37,000 support donation from the board, part of which will be used for operations, with about half going into a capital fund for the next ambulance purchase. That budget account had $19,000 in it last year, but $37,000 two years ago. Bender said the $37,000 amount had been arrived at after meetings with the ambulance group.
Bender said another line item had disappeared -- $30,000 for renovation to Jenny’s House, a museum catty-corner from the town hall. State Sen. Mike Nozzolio has come through with a $30,000 Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation grant. The town also has a $1 million grant for sidewalks, and the latest water district is approved, shovel-ready and awaiting funding.
Customers in the town’s oldest water district, which is in the hamlet and along Williamson Road, will see another change on their tax bill next year: their water district debt service charge has been removed – they’re paid up. Folks can spend the $13 they’re going to save on the book and pie sale at the library this Friday and Saturday.
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Anonymous Said,
The Newark Public Library does not "pull in $463,000 from the school district"
The library receives funding from a library tax the uses the school district boundaries. The school is required to collect the tax on school tax bills.
Posted on Tue Oct 19, 06:32:00 AM EDT
Sarah Zaso Said,
OY so that is pulling in money from the school district isn't it?
Geez sometimes people take things to literally. What the library gets is from US except they use the school district to tax it.
Posted on Tue Oct 19, 07:27:00 AM EDT
John Addyman Said,
"Anonymous" is correct. Supervisor Bender was referring to a chart that showed the source of funds for the Newark and Lyons libraries, and the source in each case was the school district. Sara Zaso is also correct -- it doesn't matter which pocket the money is coming out of, it's still a taxpayer contribution to the library.
Posted on Tue Oct 19, 03:06:00 PM EDT
Anonymous Said,
When libraries adopt the boundries of a school district, it is because they know that the library users come from this area. Newark is a good example. It was found that many borderline Port Gibson residents, Lyons, and Sodus residents were regular Newark Library users. The fair solution was to establish a library district reflecting this.
School detractors and local gadflies jumped on this opportunity to stir up the voters saying this is a additional school tax. Not so, it is just a pass thru of money. They forgot to mention that the Village of Newark gave 100% of the former library allotment back to taxpayers.
So, it DOES matter which pocket it is coming from, as village residents are no longer on the hook for a library used by residents from outlying areas.
Posted on Tue Oct 19, 03:38:00 PM EDT