2023 Town of Lancaster Budget

[Lee Chowaniec]

The 2023 Town of Lancaster budget has been posted on the town’s website. Monday evening (October 3rd) The town will be offering two resolutions to hold public hearings on the tentative budget and Special Districts budgets on October 17th.

As it stands now:

Appropriations (Spending) – 5.3% increase ($2.01 million)

Revenues – 9.89% increase ($1.10 million)

Fund Balance / Reserves Use – 7.19% increase ($148,920)

Amount to be raised by taxation (tax levy) – 3.25% increase ($801,732)

Tax Bill Increase – 1.11% increase ($9.00 per 100,000 assessed property valuation)

[Lee Chowaniec]

At Monday evening’s town board meeting a resolution to ‘Set Public Hearing Date to Review 2023 Preliminary Budget (October 17th) was unanimously approved.

The language of the resolution states: BE IT RESOLVED, that the said Tentative Budget, without modifications, is hereby approved and shall become the Preliminary Budget of the Town of Lancaster for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2023.

Before the roll was called to approve the resolution Councilmember Leary questioned resolution sponsor Supervisor Ruffino for clarification.

Leary: It says here ‘without modifications hereby approved.’ This is just a tentative budget. The actual preliminary budget will be after we have our (board) public meeting (to go over the budget and make modifications – addressed earlier).

Ruffino: It is tentative and then become preliminary.

Leary: There may be modifications is what I am saying.

Ruffino: After it becomes the preliminary budget, yes. There could be modifications after the public hearing.

Leary: Okay, very good.

Comment(s)

Confused, as am i? Did Ruffino tell Leary that budget modifications can be made after the public hearing on the preliminary budget – the tentative budget that they just approved that will become the preliminary budget without modifications? Did Leary misunderstand and then voted resolution approval?

I would hope the town board meets to add modifications to the proposed ‘tentative’ which again contains inaccurate data entries, voids, and unexplained revenues that would clarify how the town’s revenues are spent and whether the ‘bottom line’ 1.11% tax increase was actually the ‘fiscally conservative’ budget Ruffino said it was last night.

Leary made it crystal clear at the beginning of the meeting that the board was going to meet soon to discuss possible budget modifications, and that there would be some. Ruffino countered that he had sent board members emails concerning certain budget items. Leary countered that until such time they received the budget to review it, there was no sense in commenting. Leary declared the board did not receive the budget until Friday (September 30th) and had no time to meet and review it. And that is part of the process and to make ‘modifications’ if necessary.

By no means should the approved ‘tentative’ budget become the ‘preliminary’ budget set for public review. I can only hope Ruffino comes to acknowledge modifications to the proposed budget are necessary to prevent another budget public hearing embarrassment.

Language should have been added to the resolution last night that approval was conditioned on the possible addition of budget modifications before it becomes the preliminary budget for public review – not without modifications as stated.

This budget proposal is not ready for prime time!

[Lee Chowaniec]

Not to worry about the language of the resolution and if there was any misunderstanding. The following Association of Towns 2023 budget process guidelines were issued in June 2022:



3. The budget officer files the budget with the town clerk – no later than September 30th.

4. The town clerk presents the budget to the town board – on or before October 5th.

5. The town board makes revisions and prepares the preliminary budget; preliminary budget filed with town clerk – prior to public hearing.

6. Notice of public hearing – at least 5 days shall elapse between the date of first publication and the date set for the public hearing.

7. The public hearing is set.

8. Final revisions to the budget are made.

9. The budget is adopted by the governing board – no later than November 20th.

[Lee Chowaniec]

The 2023 Tentative Budget revisions (corrections) have been posted on the Town Budget menu website - beneath the 2023 tentative budget. This makes it the 'preliminary' budget.

There will be public hearings on the 2023 Special Districts Budget and the Preliminary Budget Monday evening October 17, 2022.