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Ballston Spa mayor presents 2025 tentative budget with $12.5M capital plan; trustees press for more board involvement
Summary
Mayor presented a tentative budget that includes a 12.5 million dollar capital plan covering a new DPW facility, fire apparatus, water towers and parks. Mayor said worst‑case financing would require a 2–2.5% annual tax increase for 5–6 years; trustees complained about limited early involvement in budget drafting and asked for detailed backup.
The village mayor presented a tentative budget and an accompanying capital plan that would total roughly $12.5 million and cover multiple infrastructure priorities, from a new Department of Public Works building to replacement fire apparatus and water‑tower work.
The mayor said the capital list includes: a DPW facility replacement (demolition and rebuild estimated in the vicinity of $4 million), replacement fire apparatus including a pumper and a ladder truck ($3.5 million), work on three water towers ($1.75 million), a sidewalk loan/reimbursement pool ($1 million), renovations to the municipal building ($750,000), renovations/sale‑leaseback plans for 30 Bath Street ($500,000), library construction/match ($2.5 million), park improvements including two parks and pool surfacing, and other items. He described funding sources as a mix of fund balance drawdown, water‑rate revenue for towers, possible debt, grants and other external funding sources.
The mayor said, in a “worst case” scenario — assuming no additional grants or legislative assistance — the village could cover the plan with a long‑term borrowing package amortized over 25 years, which would require approximately a 2–2.5% annual property‑tax increase for five to six years. He called that a preliminary worst‑case planning number and urged trustees to pursue grants and other revenue to reduce the tax impact.
Trustees pushed back, saying the board had not been involved sufficiently in drafting the tentative budget and asking for more time and more detailed backup data (the mayor said he would provide the verbose backup sheets and the “waterfalls” that break down line items). Trustees also pressed for Excel or spreadsheet versions of budget backup so they could model adjustments; the mayor said he would provide the detailed backup as PDF and waterfall summaries but declined to circulate an unlocked master Excel file, citing version control concerns.
The mayor also described recommended changes in utility rates to move storm‑sewer costs back to the general fund structure. He said the proposal would lower the sewer rate by about 15% for in‑village sewer users while increasing in‑village water charges by 7.5% to maintain fund balance and to fund water‑tower work and other infrastructure needs.
Trustees and residents debated schedule and transparency. Several trustees said prior administrations had involved the full board earlier in proposed budgets, and they asked for additional workshops with department heads; the mayor said he would schedule workshops and provide the more detailed backup over the coming week.
What’s next: Trustees approved scheduling a public hearing on the tentative budget (required by Village Law) for April 14 and agreed to set at least one budget workshop so trustees can meet with departments to review proposed expenditures and debt plans. The mayor and staff said they will provide more detailed spreadsheet‑style backup to support board review.
