Town Board adopts $3.5 million budget

NORTH EAST — After carrying out the necessary steps for developing and refining next year’s fiscal plan, the North East Town Board adopted the 2021 budget following its mandated public hearing, held on Thursday, Nov. 12.

As featured in the 2021 Preliminary Budget posted on the its website, www.townofnortheastny.gov, total appropriations amounted to $3,473,954. Total revenues amounted to $414,040 while the unexpended fund balance came to $414,926 and the amount to be raised by taxes came to $2,644,988.

Town Board members convened for their recent meeting at 7 p.m. at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex and via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 7:30 p.m., the board opened the public hearing on the budget, inviting residents to speak up and raise any concerns they might have. 

Since he didn’t see anyone waving their hands or sending a message that they wished to speak, town Supervisor Chris Kennan closed the public hearing. He then informed the board that Budget Officer Lorna Sherman was going back to Town Hall to check in with New York State to see if it could vote on the budget.

After going through the agenda’s main items, the board turned its attention back to the 2021 budget, this time with the intent to adopt the fiscal document. Acknowledging its prior comments, Kennan declared that this budget is “the biggest and certainly the most awesome responsibility” that the board has, adding that he regards the budget as the most consequential action that the board takes every year.

“I feel the budget is a good budget for the town,” Kennan said. “It permits us to do with somewhat fewer resources than we might have had last year, because the state has indicated that the CHIPS program for the highway maintenance is being cut back and there are other funds that come from the state and county that will be reduced. But our budget allows us to continue to conduct all the activities which we have been. It does not conflict with any reduction in personnel. It provides a 2% cost of living increase for employees living in the town.”

Kennan informed the public that the Town Board and the town clerk have chosen not to take the 2% cost of living increase next year in light of this year’s challenges — namely the pandemic. He went on to say the board is beginning to build into the budget some capacity for the funding that will be needed for the joint highway garage being built by the town and village of Millerton. To date, the town has a Bond Anticipation Note (BAN) with a 0.95% interest rate. Kennan said he anticipates the town will look to bond the project next year and will research the best rates. 

Furthermore, Kennan said the board will certainly want to spread its interest in the bond far and wide and will want to take advantage of the current low interest rates. In fact, it’s because of the low interest rates for municipal financing that Kennan said he feels it’s important to move on the project right now and not wait too long, when interest rates start to go back up again.

With that being said, the board voted unanimously to adopt the 2021 budget.