BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The town board is starting to look at the numbers for expenses and revenues for the coming fiscal year. 

At their meeting Friday, Sept. 18, the town board approved a tax cap override and scheduled several upcoming board workshop meetings to mull over the line items for the 2027 budget. 

The tax cap override is a common step taken by municipal boards in New York State before the budget for the coming year is approved. In theory it allows a town board to pass a budget for the coming year even if the potential tax increase will exceed the state's mandated cap. 

According to a press release from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the tax cap was first applied to local governments (excluding New York City) and school districts in 2012 and limits annual tax levy increases to the lesser of the rate of inflation or 2% with certain exceptions. The state tax cap law allows local governments to override the tax cap through passage of a local law with a public hearing. 

DiNapoli announced in July that property tax levy growth will be capped again at 2 percent for all towns in the state. This will be the fifth year in a row that the cap has been set at 2 percent.   

A public hearing on the tax cap override will be held Oct. 13 immediately following the hearing on the town's battery storage moratorium which is set for 4:30 p.m. 

"Do we know what our preliminary tax cap is?" asked Town Board Member Pat Brady. 

"You never really know until you plug everything in," said Deputy Supervisor Cindy Goliber. 

"And if we're under the tax cap then we always rescind this. We do this as a protection," Goliber said. 

The board also voted to schedule special budget meetings on Sept. 29 at 4:30 p.m. to review General and Town Outside budgets, and Sept. 30 at 4:30 p.m. to review Highway DA & DB, Water/Sewer portions of the 2027 proposed budget.