April 14, 2021
WLEA STAFF REPORTS
CANISTEO — The Canisteo Village Board approved a $1.32 million dollar budget for fiscal year 2021-2022 on Tuesday evening during a special meeting.
The new budget represents a tax levy decrease of .03 percent and a rate decrease of .35 percent for village property owners, bringing the rate to roughly $9.47/$1,000 of assessed home value. The property tax will raise $593,182 in revenues, or 45 percent of the total annual budget.
Trustee Michael Delany, presenting the budget on behalf of the board, called it “stable despite COVID.” Which has negatively impacted many municipalities’ bottom lines in the past year.
Top anticipated expenses for the coming year include water infrastructure upgrades, a streets project involving Main and Greenwood Streets, several repairs at the village’s 35 Main Street building, and one-time maintenance costs for transportation equipment.
The village found savings on retired employee insurance, active employees migrating to more cost-effective plans, and workers’ compensation cases that became inactive.
This year’s budget is also bolstered by an increase in contractual revenues totaling $274,383.10, in part from providing fire protection to neighboring communities; and $183,000 in state aid making up 13.9 percent of the overall budget.
Another major factor in village savings was lesser energy costs. Delany credited the installation of LED streetlights and successful grant applications for playing a role.
“This is the reason we’ve seen a flat tax rate,” he said.
In other news:
There will be no change in rates for water in 2021-2022. The water budget decreased by $33,000 or nine percent, coming in at $315,500 and the wastewater treatment budget rose .3 percent, totaling $322,500 — budgets Delany called a “keep the lights on approach”.
