Zero Increase in Alex Bay Tax Rate

Alexandria Bay:

Despite tough economic times, on 4.30.12  the village board adopted a budget with a zero percent increase from last years budget.  The tax rate is the same at $7.9218 per $1000 of assessed property value.

One of the many Budget Workshops

According to Mayor Jury this is the first year the board as a whole has sat down with pencils, worksheets, and calculators. We were given worksheets and  the board plugged in numbers, we erased them and changed them.  But in previous years this [Already Prepared Budget from the Treasurer] is what you got and you read through it and that was it.  This is the first time we [the board, the treasurer, and clerk] have put a budget together.

The Budget hearing was held on 4.25.12 and it lasted about 35 minutes.  Myself and two others attended.  Some questions were asked and promptly answered.  The board had a daunting task preparing this budget as it came on the heels of an audit from the NYS Comptrollers office that found deficiencies in board oversight and an abnormally large excess of reserves in village accounts.  Mayor Jury, the trustees, and the village treasurer are still working to reconcile the auditors findings. Mayor Jury assured us that they will continue working until all the village finances and bookkeeping  are in alignment.

The following audio clip is from the budget hearing.  It is an edited version with highlights from that hearing.  I increased the speed of the clip because of long pauses between questions. To listen to the unedited clip, click here.