Supervisors Message - November 2010 - Town and Village of Lima, NY

Supervisor's Message - November 2011

Lima, NY

Crossroads

Western NY

From the Desk of Lima Supervisor Pete Yendell

posted November 17, 2011

The Town of Lima has adopted a budget for 2010 that falls within the limit of the new Property Tax Cap that was enacted by the New York State legislature in June. The tax cap was enacted to limit the growth of annual property taxes to 2% or the rate of inflation but the actual amount of a municipality’s tax cap is determined by the New York State Comptroller.

For the Town of Lima, the levy was adjusted for three factors in addition to the allowable levy growth factor of 2%. These allowances include mandated New York State Retirement contributions in excess of 2%, PILOTS or Payments in Lieu of Taxes which are payments that compensate the town for lost tax revenue, and tax base growth which accounts for physical additions to the town’s tax base such as new development. The total dollars we raised the tax levy $23,764.00, of that $11,294.00 was the increase in our contribution to New York State Retirement.

With these adjustments, the allowable tax cap levy for the Town of Lima is 3.37%. As in past years, we spent a considerable amount of time reviewing all expenses and working to keep our tax rates as stable as possible. For the first time, all employees will contribute to the cost of increases in medical premiums as this cost continues to rise at a rate well ahead of inflation. The town highway superintendent carefully planned roadwork maintenance projects for 2012 to limit the increase in expenditures while accounting for large projected cost increases in some needed materials.

All property owners pay for town-wide services through the town-wide tax. This amount will increase by 3% which amounts to 9 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Property owners in the town, outside of the village, also pay for town services and fire service through the town tax which will increase 2.63%, equal to 14 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

Property owners in South Lima residents receive fire protection from the Lakeville Fire Department. As a result of the cost increase for this service, the town tax rate for South Lima will increase 3.04%, 16 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

This budget will allow us to continue to provide all of the services that we have in the past.

Mark Tubbs Park: We continue to seek input regarding the proposed expansion of the park. We held 2 informational meetings to provide our residents with information on this project. We had approximately 50 people in attendance. We have also received several letters of support for this project. The majority of those who have expressed an opinion are in favor of the expansion. We have $121,237 dollars available in grant funding and we would need to borrow $110,000 dollars. This additional money would be used for the matching funds required for this grant as well as expansion of the parking area and a new walking path to the pond that is located on the 38 acre property. The annual payback on a $100,000.00 dollar home would be less than $5.00 per year for 15 years. If the expansion moves forward, the annual loan repayment amount would be collected through the town-wide tax. The approved budget includes a contingency allowance for this amount, which is within the allowable limit of the property-tax cap.

Lima Veterans Memorial Highway: On 11/11/11 the 6.5 mile section of Route 15A through the Town of Lima was designated as the Lima Veterans Memorial Highway. The dedication took place at the Lima VFW Post on East Main Street. Several individuals are to be recognized for their efforts in seeking this designation. Joyce Rapp, who first brought up the idea, worked with Mike Hayes, Don Schunk, Bill Springer and Dick Rapp and spent a great deal of time and effort in this 3 year project. After many phone calls and letters, signs have been placed at the north and south entrances to the town. Many thanks to Senator Patrick Gallivan and Assemblyman Daniel Burling for the time and effort they spent getting this through the Senate and Assembly.

Officials