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Finance staff propose modest revenue increases tied to permits, rescue billing and moorings as part of FY26 outlook
Summary
Staff recommended modest upward adjustments to revenues in the draft FY26 figures — truing up motor-vehicle excise receipts, an increase for building-permit revenue tied to local development, a 20% rescue-billing increase and adjustments to mooring and other fees — while noting final property valuations remain pending.
At the April 28 Finance Committee meeting staff reviewed revenue assumptions underlying the FY26 budget and proposed a handful of upward adjustments to better align the draft budget with recent activity.
Helene told the committee staff trued up motor-vehicle excise-tax projections after trending data showed stronger collections; she said the town is seeing motor-vehicle excise revenues closer to $2.5 million and that staff increased the budgeted line accordingly. She said the town increased projected building-permit revenue by $25,000 after discussing development and expected permits with the code-enforcement officer.
On service charges, Helene said staff increased rescue-billing revenue by 20% to align billing rates with surrounding towns and to reflect improved collections; she said that adjustment added about $40,000 in projected revenue. The town also adjusted mooring fees and recreational/Valhalla-related fees to reflect current activity and to offset expense increases.
Helene cautioned that property-tax revenue remains subject to final valuation numbers from the assessor and that some line items (for example, investment earnings) were corrected after staff discovered prior budgets had included investment returns that are not posted to the general fund.
Why it matters: Revenue assumptions determine how much the town must raise via property tax or other sources. Committee members requested updated permit tallies and assessor valuations as staff completes FY25 closeout work.
Ending: Staff said it will provide revised permit receipts and assessor numbers and that revenue changes will be reflected in the final budget materials before the May 5 council meeting.
