BETHLEHEM — At tonight’s Town Board meeting, Comptroller Michael Cohen will introduce a tentative $41.8 million budget plan for 2018 that would raise the average property tax bill (on a home assessed at $260,000) by approximately $30.
The tentative budget represents an increase of 1.8 percent over the 2017 budget, or $741,000. It would invest $44.3 million in water and sewer infrastructure, sidewalk projects and public safety improvements that have been identified in a 5-year, $55.2 million capital expenditure plan, and would also include a 2 percent cost of living increase for all town employees. In the anticipated presentation, which can be found here, Supervisor John Clarkson and Cohen state that controlled spending by the town has made the capital spending and wage increases possible.
The tentative budget would also add two new full-time police positions while eliminating one full-time mechanic position, which, according to the presentation, reflects current staffing needs and is at least partially offset by town savings and reduced police overtime.
The town board is scheduled to vote on the budget on Wednesday, Nov. 8, and a formal public hearing will take place before that, on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
Tonight’s meeting will take place at Town Hall, 445 Delaware Ave., at 6 p.m. There will also be a presentation on town’s food scraps composting pilot program and the board will vote to authorize state-subsidized microenterprise loans to local small businesses.