Rotterdam preliminary budget under tax cap, hearing set

042521_RotterdamTownHall_SH-01 — PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Kelly

Rotterdam residents will have the opportunity to address the town’s proposed 2022 budget during a public hearing Thursday evening.

The town recently announced that its preliminary budget, introduced Oct. 27 during a town board meeting, is now below the state tax-levy cap. The tentative budget originally exceeded the tax cap by almost $300,000 dollars, according to board member Stephen Signore.

The preliminary budget uses over $330,000 in unrestricted funds, in order to lower the tax rate. In the preliminary budget, residents would pay a tax rate that is a penny more, at $3.85 per $1,000 of assessed property value, than it is now. The tentative budget had proposed residents pay $3.92 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The non-homestead tax –the tax businesses pay — would drop to $8.80 per $1,000 of assessed value, compared to the $8.98 per $1,000 of assessed value that was in the tentative budget. The preliminary budget rate would be a 24.8% increase from 2021, which had the tax rate at $7.05 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The public hearing is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Rotterdam Senior Center, 2639 Hamburg St.