Cheektowaga board seeks roughly $3.7M in cuts as 2026 levy projections exceed state tax cap

Comptroller Dennis Dombrowski and town finance staff presented the town’s preliminary 2026 budget at a special Town Board meeting focused exclusively on the spending plan and revenue forecasts. Board members discussed a mix of revenue increases and spending cuts after staff said the projected levy increase would substantially exceed the state tax cap unless the board reduces spending or uses fund balance.

The board heard countywide trend analysis from Dombrowski showing rising fixed costs (pensions, health insurance and debt service) and shrinking unassigned fund balances. Finance staff member Brian Krause told the board the formal state tax-cap calculation for Cheektowaga equates to a 2.58% allowable levy increase — about $1,898,206 — while the current 2026 levy projection on the table was roughly $5.59 million, meaning the board would need to close roughly $3.7 million in additional spending or identify other offsets to remain under the cap.

Why it matters: staying within the state tax-cap formula avoids a larger, automatic levy increase and is a central constraint on the board’s choices. With fund balances already drawn down in recent years and several large recurring costs rising, the board said it would have to choose between using reserves, trimming programs and personnel, or borrowing for…