Rising Sun previews balanced FY2025 budget; no planned real estate tax increase

Rising Sun officials on June 5 received a preview of the town’s proposed FY2025 budget, with staff saying they expect to balance revenues and expenditures without raising the town’s real estate tax rate.

Town Administrator Calvin A. Boddenberger Jr. told the board the draft budget is not yet final but shows no planned increase in the real estate tax rate and continues a two‑decade focus on stabilizing water, sewer and operating costs. He said the town currently has three vacant positions to fill: a police vacancy following the death of an officer, a public works vacancy from a retirement, and a recently retired code officer.

Boddenberger said the town uses a lease‑to‑own approach for large equipment to spread costs over multiple years. He cited recent vehicle purchases with a total price of about $268,000, producing roughly $40,000 a year in lease payments, and said this strategy reduces the need for large one‑time expenditures. “So instead of writing a check for $268,000 we spread that out over a five‑year lease and we pay basically a $40,000 a year payment,” he said.

Inflationary pressures were cited as a challenge across the budget: fuel, utilities, materials and employee health‑insurance costs have increased, and staff said they are restructuring some fees so users who require extra services pay more of the cost. Boddenberger asked commissioners to expect a final budget for approval at the June 18 meeting and at a later point recommended presenting a concise “quick version” of the budget to the public to improve engagement.

Votes at the meeting included approval of the consent agenda by voice vote; no separate vote on the budget occurred on June 5. The town administrator said the budget as presented does not include any real estate tax increases and the board will consider the final figures at the June 18 meeting.