Ancram residents questioned a proposed 9.5% increase in the town’s property tax levy and a separate proposal to raise funding for the Roeliff Jansen Community Library during a public hearing on the town’s 2027 preliminary budget Oct. 15.
The preliminary budget calls for $2,040,285 in appropriations, up from $1,943,785 in the tentative budget.
The largest reduction in the tentative budget was a $50,000 cut to the highway department. The preliminary budget restores about $32,500 for highway capital expenditures, made possible by spending reductions elsewhere and higher revenue projections, according to Budget Officer Steve Olyha, who chairs the town’s Financial Advisory Council. The funding will help the highway department replace a 15-year-old front loader.
On the revenue side, the largest change was an increase in projected building department fees and permit revenue, from $85,000 in the tentative budget to $100,000.
The Financial Advisory Council had previously considered lowering the town’s $750,000 minimum surplus balance to avoid raising taxes but ultimately rejected the option as unsustainable.
The preliminary budget maintains the $750,000 minimum, which Olyha said falls roughly in the middle of the amounts held by neighboring towns, ranging from about $500,000 to $1.2 million.
“The best way to make up the difference right now is through raising the taxes, because we have cut every single line item in the budget that we possibly could,” Olyha said.
During the hearing, resident Libby McKee questioned why the town’s budget for legal fees had increased from $25,000 last year to $35,000 in the preliminary budget. Supervisor Colleen Lutz attributed the increase to several ongoing legal cases involving the town.
The proposed 9.5% tax levy increase exceeds the state’s property tax cap, which generally limits annual levy growth to 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower, with certain exceptions. The cap for 2027 is 2%.
To exceed the cap, the Town Board must adopt a local law authorizing an override, requiring approval from at least 60% of its members.
The board scheduled a public hearing on the proposed override for 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, followed by a hearing on the final budget at 6:15 p.m.
McKee also raised concerns about a separate proposal to increase Ancram’s annual contribution to the Roeliff Jansen Community Library from $29,977 to $48,850, asking how the change would affect property owners.
Lutz, a former library board member, explained that the library’s funding is separate from the town budget and that residents will vote on the proposed increase in the Nov. 3 general election.
Under the proposal, the annual library tax would be approximately $7.91 per $100,000 of property value. A home valued at $400,000 would carry an annual library tax of $31.64.
Copake and Hillsdale, which are also served by the library, approved increased contributions in 2025 to address inflation and growing demand for electronic resources.
Separately, the Ancram Fire District adopted its 2027 budget Oct. 20. The budget, which includes $443,100 in appropriations, was approved unanimously by the Board of Fire Commissioners, according to district Secretary Thomas Dias. The fire district operates as a separate taxing entity from the town.