A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low around 45F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
Tonight
A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low around 45F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Lawmakers in Scotia have introduced legislation on a proposed local law to exceed the state’s property tax cap for the 2025-26 fiscal year, though Mayor David Bucciferro said he’s still compiling a spending plan and it’s unclear at this time what a final tax rate may look like.
The village has routinely voted to exceed the state-mandated tax cap since it was implemented, voting nine times to exceed the cap in the 12 years it has been in place. But the village has only actually exceeded the cap four of those years, according to a review of past budgets.
That includes last year, when lawmakers voted to increase the tax levy — or amount raised by property taxes — by 7.65%. The increase was attributed to a $778,590 in new spending, which was the result of increased medical and retirement benefits for employees and a bond payment associated with a voter-approved project to upgrade municipal facilities.
Bucciferro said Wednesday that he was still in the early stages of compiling a budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year that will begin on June 1. It’s unclear, he said, whether the village will have to exceed the tax cap or what a final tax rate will be.
The mayor said department heads are still in the process of compiling their spending requests for the new fiscal year.
News that the village may exceed the tax cap comes as the Scotia-Glenville Central School District is grappling with how it will fill a $2.85 million budget gap for the upcoming academic year. The village and school district are two separate entities, but share a similar tax base.
The school district’s budget woes can be attributed largely to a $4.1 million increase in costs to maintain all current services, a bulk of which can be attributed to increases in medical insurance, growing special education costs and salary increases. The district, however, is expecting only $1.2 million in new revenue if it wants to stay under its own tax cap of 3.25%.
To maintain all its current programming, the school district would have to increase the tax levy by more than 11.79%, according to district officials, a move that would require approval from a supermajority of voters during a budget referendum that will take place in May.
It’s unclear how the school district plans to address the budget deficit, though Superintendent Susan Swartz said staff reductions are possible if the district were to reduce spending to remain under the district’s 3.25% tax cap.
It’s unclear at this time if the district will seek to override the tax cap. Scotia-Glenville schools have historically remained at or below the state-mandated spending cap, only putting forward a spending plan exceeding the cap once since it’s been implemented.
For the village to override the cap, lawmakers must approve legislation by a 60% margin. The school district requires a super majority of voters to approve a spending plan if it moves to override a tax cap, according to state law.
