Keywords Home About Departments Boards & Committees Community Find it Fast You are here Home Charlton 2022 Town Budget Summary POSTED ON: OCTOBER 20, 2021 - 10:43AM Charlton 2022 Town Budget The following is a summary of the proposed 2022 Town of Charlton Preliminary Budget. There will be a public hearing on the proposed budget at 7:00 PM on Monday, October 25th at Charlton Town Hall. The Town Board is expected to adopt a 2022 Budget at their regularly scheduled Town Board meeting on Monday, November 8th. Budget Summary The proposed budget continues a three decade-long tradition of no General Fund or Highway Fund tax on our residents. The town’s major sources of revenue include distributions of sales tax collected by the County, County mortgage tax receipts, franchise fees, State reimbursements for investments in our roads, and Town Court imposed fines. The proposed budget is balanced in that anticipated appropriations match projected revenues. There is no proposed use of unreserved fund balance of the General Fund (currently approximately $349,549) or unreserved fund balance of the Highway Fund (currently approximately $215,732). General Fund and Highway Fund The budget proposes an increase in appropriations for both the General Fund and Highway Fund from 2020 levels. This is made possible in large part due to a strong rebound of sales tax revenues as we come out of the COVID pandemic. Sales tax revenues for 2022 are projected to be 3.7% above 2020 pre-pandemic levels. Besides salary increases, there are proposed investments in our Town Community Center, funds allocated for Founder’s Weekend, funds for replacement of one of our Police vehicles and funds for the purchase of a new tandem plow truck for the Highway Department. The budget also continues voluntary funding for the Ballston Community library, summer recreation programs and other long standing community service organizations that important provide services to our residents. The budget includes various debt payments including continued repayment of bonds for the construction of our town hall and one new bond for the purchase of the new highway truck. We will continue to make smart investments in our highway equipment fleet and with the repaving of approximately two and a half miles of our 47 miles of town owned roads. Special Districts There are no proposed tax increases for Water District #1 or Water District #2 customers, and no proposed increase in water billing rates. There will continue to be investments made into our water infrastructure including placing into operation our newly installed chlorination system. To balance the water fund’s budget, the budget proposes use of a portion ($94,870) of our Water Fund unreserved fund balance ($529,894) which has continue to grow in recent years. There is a proposed 2% increase in the tax rate for the Ambulance District which is comprised of the three emergency service providers that serve the Town of Charlton (Community Corps EMS, Galway EMS and Ballston Lake EMS). The proposed tax increase is substantially less than the over 5% increase in funding requests received for emergency medical services. Salary Adjustments The proposed budget includes salary adjustments for many of our town staff. There were no “across the board” increases. Each position was reviewed individually based on the skills of the employee, demands of the position and comparable salaries paid for the same position in other municipalities. The exceptional work performed by our dedicated staff continues to be a cornerstone of our ability to meet the growing demands for service to our community. American Rescue Plan Act Funding The budget does not rely on use of funds that have been appropriated to the Town via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Half of this funding was received in 2021 and another tranche is expected to be received in 2022. Allowable uses of this funding are very restricted. Funds will be used to cover the cost of various items that were deferred due to drop in revenue during the COVID pandemic; reimburse the Town for direct costs due to COVID relief efforts; and for other permitted infrastructure improvements. Due to the limited amount of funding received and the significant impact the COVID pandemic had on the Town’s operations, the Town doesn’t anticipate distributing the ARPA funding to any outside agencies or service organizations. Supervisor’s Note I commend all of the Town Department Heads and Town Board members for their participation in the budgeting process and appreciate their help in crafting a budget that is fiscally responsible yet continues to ensure the Town provides essential services to our residents. Here’s to a safe and prosperous future, Supervisor Joe Grasso Charlton Town Hall 758 Charlton Road Charlton, NY 12019 (518) 384-0152 Website Disclaimer Government Websites by CivicPlus® Login