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Ballston Spa trustees adopt override of state tax levy limit after contentious budget hearing
Summary
Trustees voted 4–1 to adopt Local Law No. 2 of 2026 allowing the village to propose a budget that exceeds the state tax levy limit; residents at a public hearing pressed for clearer multi‑year capital planning and reserve accounting before any over‑cap levy is used.
Trustees in the Village of Ballston Spa voted 4–1 on April 13 to adopt Local Law No. 2 of 2026, a measure authorizing the village to ...consider adopting a budget for fiscal 2026–27 that would exceed the tax levy limit established by General Municipal Law §3‑c. The board also set a public hearing on the final budget for April 20, 2026 at 7 p.m.
The vote came after a public hearing and extended public comment in which multiple residents urged the board not to exceed the tax cap until it adopts a formal multi‑year capital plan and clarifies what is held in reserve accounts. "I support capital planning. The issue that I have at the moment is that no such plan currently is in place," said Mike, a resident who cited guidance from the Office of the State Comptroller and asked trustees to demonstrate how reserves and rollovers will be used.
Resident Liz Cormos asked the board to "revise the tentative fiscal year 27 budget so that it does not exceed the...tax cap," pointing to a reported capital reserve balance and asking for clearer documentation of where those dollars are assigned. Lisa Spidel urged the board to show "all responsibly assured grant revenues" and said that routinely rolling unspent funds forward can obscure the true annual tax burden.
The mayor and staff responded at length, saying the tentative budget’s excess relates primarily to the capital plan rather than recurring operating costs and describing how budget line A9950 is used. According to the explanation given to the board, A9950 represents a transfer from the general fund to the capital projects fund designed to pool resources for a range of infrastructure projects; it is not a lockbox for a single project. The mayor also noted existing reserve planning for a ladder fire truck expected in 2029 (estimated at about $2.6 million) and described contributions from neighboring entities to the fire apparatus reserve.
Trustees debated the resolution to adopt the override law and authorize filing of a negative declaration required by state environmental review procedures. A roll‑call vote passed 4–1. The board’s action authorizes the administration to proceed with the process required to present a final budget that could exceed the tax levy limit; it does not itself set a specific tax increase. The trustees reiterated the scheduled public hearing on April 20 and said the final budget vote is expected at the meeting on April 27.
What’s next: The village will hold the April 20 public hearing on the tentative budget and the trustees indicated they will revisit the capital plan details and reserve accounting before any final decisions about an over‑cap levy. Public commenters asked the board to include a clear multi‑year capital plan, show expected grant revenues on the revenue side of the budget, and create explicit, board‑adopted reserve policies before relying on over‑cap levies.
