Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board schedules Nov. 17 budget hearing amid disputes over notices, reserves and proposed tax increase
Summary
The board set a Nov. 17 public hearing on the preliminary 2026 budget but members and residents disputed whether the town met filing/timing requirements; a board member said the draft budget would raise taxes about $0.86 and use large reserves to balance highway costs.
On Nov. 6 the Seneca Falls Town Board confirmed a special meeting and public hearing on the preliminary 2026 budget for Nov. 17 at 5 p.m., but multiple members and residents disputed whether the tentative budget had been filed on the timetable recommended by guidance and whether the Nov. 17 timetable allowed sufficient notice for adoption before the county deadline on Nov. 20.
A board member (speaker S9) summarized the town's finances as he understood them and provided several figures: he said the budget was short by about $3,250,000, that $615,000 was needed to balance highway accounts, and that a proposed property-tax increase of 86 cents per thousand ("86¢") was included to cover highway costs. He also said the town would rely on unrestricted fund balance and a tax-reserve fund to close gaps and cited figures that placed the proposed draw from reserves in the high hundreds of thousands to millions. "This budget is $3,250,000 that we don't have," the speaker said.
Board members debated whether the board could adopt the budget on Nov. 17, whether amendments could be offered individually that night, and whether to schedule an additional meeting to allow fuller discussion. The supervisor said the tentative budget would be posted and that the board will hold the Nov. 17 hearing and then vote at a subsequent meeting if needed. Residents urged transparency, and several speakers called for more inclusive deliberations or for use of reserves to lower taxes.
