BY NANCY KELLY
Kings County Advertiser/Register
Kingston commissioners approved – in principal - four of the five components of the village’s proposed $1.2 million 2010/ 2011 budget at a special public meeting April 22.
The session, part of the village’s new approach to drafting its annual budget, provided an opportunity for the commission and the public to discuss the budget. Ten people were on hand in the gallery for the meeting. The draft budget was officially released earlier in the month, and clerk-treasurer Greg Towne said, since then, the village office had taken several questions. No input or suggestions were received.
Former village commissioner Scott Peckford said the lackluster public response to the budget and new review process could be indicative “people don’t feel their voice will matter.” Towne hopes, as the process becomes established, more village residents will offer input on deliberations.
Budget-related questions from the gallery and commissioners focused on a variety of spending items, including the proposed 44.9 per cent increase in staff costs for the year ahead. Village chairman Tom Beardsley attributed the increase to the re-activation of the full-time clerk-treasurer’s position, officially vacant for two years, and to the village office taking on a greater role in running its own affairs. As an example, Beardsley noted, effective this May, the village will issue its own tax bills.
“The office (staff) is doing more,” said Beardsley, who added Towne’s expertise in municipal matters and administration is “definitely worth” the increase in the budget.
Several questions put to Towne about individual budget items were satisfied with an explanation of the new “summary” budget system, which takes a more detailed approached to attributing revenues and expenses. A question about a potential increase in commissioners’ stipends was used to illustrate Towne’s point.
“In previous budgets, there was no cost attributed for operating the commission,” explained Towne. “But that isn’t a true reflection. There are office expenses and hardware costs involved with running the commission, and this year’s budget has $900 built in to cover that.”
He added commissioners’ stipends will remain unchanged in the year ahead.
Another point of concern was made about the village’s intention to combine the general tax and sidewalk tax rates into one single annual rate. Several attending in the gallery recalled the two rates were deliberately kept separate in the hopes, someday, the sidewalk rate would no longer be necessary and removed from the tax structure.
“By combining them you are essentially saying we will be paying this (tax) forever,” said Peckford.
Beardsley responded enhancing the village’s network of sidewalks is an ongoing project that requires annual spending.
“Even if we were to eventually build sidewalks on every street in the village, we would still have to maintain them - and that costs, too.”
The base budget was approved by the commissioners, including expenditures required to maintain current service levels. Also included is $28,600 of discretionary spending for grants and donations to organizations, the Steer Barbecue, the Kingston Volunteer Fire Department, the Apple Blossom Festival and bulb planting committees and contributions to Kingston Recreation and the Western Kings Arena.
Commissioners also approved a one-cent increase in the commercial tax rate to offset losses from the elimination of the business occupancy tax and an across-the-board increase of 4.4 per cent to the sewer rate.
The capital budget, which calls for $216,000 in spending earmarked for environmental health and sewer system upgrades, sidewalk repairs, civic building improvements and new infrastructure at Stronach Park was also approved. Inclusion of these components will result in little or no change to the current tax rate.
The final component of the budget, service level initiatives totaling $93,500, will be reviewed at the commission’s May 13 meeting. The approval of any combination of these items could result in an increased tax rate.
