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Henrietta board applies $4.75 million in excess funds to 2026 budget and capital projects; authorizes EV chargers
Summary
The board voted to apply $4.75 million in 2024 unassigned fund balance to limit the 2026 tax levy and to fund capital priorities including a dog shelter, amphitheater, golf clubhouse, equipment reserves and hot-mix pothole equipment; it also ratified EV charger expenditures covered by grants.
At its April 30 meeting the Henrietta Town Board approved a package of budget and capital actions that applies $4.75 million in excess unassigned fund balance from 2024 to the 2026 budget and to several capital and reserve accounts.
Supervisor Mike Schultz said the town historically budgets conservatively and uses positive year-end balances to reduce pressure on the tax levy. The board agreed to allocate $4.75 million to the 2026 budget to minimize tax increases, and earmarked specific uses from the remaining unassigned balance: $350,000 for a new dog shelter, $100,000 for an amphitheater (band shell), $440,000 toward a new golf-course clubhouse, $800,000 to the equipment capital reserve fund, $250,000 to a repairs reserve fund, $96,167 for town parks capital projects, $50,000 for information-technology upgrades, and $100,000 for highway equipment to enable hot-mix pothole repairs using millings and on-site mixing.
The board also ratified earlier electrical work and authorized the purchase of nine EV chargers for town properties using Clean Energy Community grant funds and a separate utility make-ready grant; the chargers themselves and make-ready work were funded through grant programs so no local tax dollars were used. Town officials said the town will charge users the electricity cost and not subsidize vehicle charging with tax funds.
Other actions approved included advertising bids for a solar installation to use approximately $53,000 of remaining roof grant funds, authorization of architectural/MEP design services for senior center additions funded by county ARPA and a local donation, approval to purchase mower systems and to surplus older equipment, and several routine contract and personnel authorizations.
Board members described the budget moves as efforts to stabilize the tax levy and to direct one-time or grant-sourced funding toward capital needs. The roll-call votes recorded unanimous approval for the allocations and grant-funded purchases where recorded.
