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Cheektowaga finance director warns of structural budget gap; public hearing on exceeding tax cap closes
Summary
Finance Director Brian Krause told the Town Board the 2027 budget is structurally unbalanced, with projected contract and benefit increases creating a roughly $1.7 million gap relative to the town's estimated $1.5 million tax‑cap allowance; residents urged the board to avoid exceeding the cap.
The Town of Cheektowaga’s finance director told the Town Board on Jan. 27 that structural budget pressures make it likely the town will need to consider options that could include using fund balance or exceeding the property‑tax cap.
Brian Krause, the town’s finance director, presented six years of budget comparisons and said appropriations increased about $20.6 million (roughly 22%) from 2020 through 2026 while revenue sources did not grow at the same pace. He highlighted several drivers: payroll (the 2026 payroll budget is nearly $44 million), rising retirement rates, health‑insurance cost increases, waste‑disposal and sewer‑contract costs, and possible new…
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