BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM — The Potsdam town council opted to delay approving its tentative 2027 budget and spend more time working on the numbers.

The board tabled a resolution at its Tuesday, Oct. 13 meeting to finalize the tentative budget for the coming year and approve the preliminary budget.

Currently, the 2027 tentative budget calls for a 25 percent increase in the tax levy for the general fund, and a tax rate increase of $1.03 per $1,000 of assessed value, up from 82 cents per $1,000.

The overall tax rate, which includes tax rates for the general fund, highway DA fund and the fire district budget, would increase to $3.08 per $1,000, up from $2.62 per $1,000 in the current year.

During discussion at the meeting town officials were not comfortable with the current numbers and had several questions still to be answered on line items in the budget.

“I just don’t feel that we’ve done our due diligence to move this budget forward,” said Deputy Supervisor Cindy Goliber. “I want to present the best budget possible, I think we all do. (But) I’m not there.”

“I don’t know if we’ve got the best tax rate we can have and that’s what I’m concerned about,” she said. “I will not support approving our preliminary budget tonight. I would be voting ‘no.’”  

Board members agreed to compile whatever questions or concerns they still had regarding the budget and submit them to Supervisor Marty Miller and the bookkeeper Morgan Simons before reconvening to hash out the final numbers next Thursday.

The town’s 2027 tentative budget, which is still subject to change, can be viewed on the town website at https://tinyurl.com/2n24k4vz .

According to that document, last updated Oct. 13, the tentative 2027 budget proposes increasing the general property tax levy by about 25%, from $815,058 in 2026 to $1.02 million next year, an increase of $205,534.

The proposed general fund budget calls for spending $1.9 million, up $47,434, or about 2.6%, from the $1.85 million budget adopted for 2026.

The proposed general fund tax rate would rise from 82 cents to $1.03 per $1,000 of assessed property value, according to the budget figures.

The increase in the general fund tax levy accounts for both the increase in appropriations and a reduction in the amount of fund balance used to square the bottom line of the general fund.

The tentative budget proposes applying $125,000 in general fund balance to next year’s expenses, down from $275,000 in the 2026 budget.

Among the biggest changes in general fund spending is an increase in contractual expenses for the town attorney from $30,000 to $180,000. However, the 2026 attorney budget category included $150,000 for an Article 7 appraisal, while the 2027 tentative budget does not.

Contractual expenses for the town justice also would increase, from $33,000 to $51,000. The budget proposes raising insurance costs from $72,000 to $82,000 and increasing the contingency account from about $33,886 to $50,000.

Some numbers drop in the 2027 plan as it stands currently. The proposed contribution for retirement costs is down from $129,000 to $106,000.

Expected changes in general fund revenues include a decline in county sales tax from $350,000 to $300,000, a state aid increase from $135,000 to $163,000, and a county mortgage tax revenue rise from $60,000 to $85,000. The town’s projected adult-use cannabis tax revenue would increase from $20,000 to $30,000. Payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOTs, are projected to fall from $23,000 to $19,000.

The town is anticipating increases in some of its other funds besides the general as well, including its fire district budget, highway DA budget and highway DB (covered largely by state aid) budget.

Other portions of the 2027 tentative fiscal plan are the town outside budget, special lighting and sewer districts and the Route 56 water and sewer districts, but those portions of the town’s yearly budget are covered by incoming revenues besides taxes or by taxation on the residents of those specific districts.

The 2027 plan for the town’s finances is still a working document at this point until the town board officially approves it as the preliminary budget. A public hearing will then be scheduled before final approval in November.