With little public comment or questioning at its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Gallatin Town Board unanimously approved a final draft budget for 2026, largely unchanged from what members had discussed at their September meeting.
Supervisor John Reilly broke the $1,439,380 million budget down. The town currently has $2.8 million in cash reserves and expects that to reach $3.2 million by year’s end. Because the board voted earlier this year not to build a new Town Hall, for which resources were being gathered, the proposal is to allocate $500,000 for repairs to the current Town Hall; $350,000 for a new snow plow; $175,000 for additional road repairs; $426,000 for paying off the bond taken out in anticipation of new Town Hall construction; $308,000 for paying off a long-term penalty due on retirement funds; and $40,000 for legal services in connection with rezoning work.
In addition, $200,000 would go into a cash flow fund and $175,000 would be a one-time, pro rata property tax reduction. Reilly said that this was the amount of additional tax revenue raised over the past five years for the new Town Hall. While it will reduce property owners’ town taxes by 58% in 2026, Reilly was quick to point out that the majority of property tax is levied by the county.
Of the more than $1 million remaining, $300,000 would go into an additional capital building reserve; $660,000 would go into a highway equipment reserve, for which Highway Superintendent Jack Gomm identified $425,000 in likely replacement costs through 2029; and $60,000 would be held for the expenses of a full town property re-assessment, anticipated for 2029.
The 2026 operating budget also includes 5% raises for town employees as well as modest increases in compensation for board members. The board voted unanimouslyto approve it.
From the audience, Ben Maron, who is a candidate for Town Board this fall, asked whether some of the additional highway funds could be used to upgrade private roads. Gomm made it clear that tax revenue could be used only for public roads, but Reilly said that in 2026 the board could undertake an analysis of which private roads could be more efficiently brought up to public road standards.
Tara Silberberg, who is also a candidate for Town Board, said that the Conservation Advisory Council might need more funding in 2026 to finish its Natural Resource Inventory. “Our consultant has completed a draft,” added CAC Chair Eli Arnow, “but the committee feels it needs more work.”
Chris Brown, Housing Development Coordinator for the Columbia County Economic Development Corporation and board member of the county’s nonprofit Trillium Community Land Trust, appeared on Zoom and discussed the Pro-Housing Community Resolution — which the Board unanimously passed. This recognizes that “every community must do its part to increase housing options for current and future residents.” Columbia is now the first county in the state in which every town or municipality has passed the resolution, giving it greater access to what Brown said was more than $750 million in potential funding through multiple state departments.
Reilly asked Brown for advice on help with a 2.5-acre lot the town owns on the east side of Gallatinville Road, across from conservation land, which the board thought might be suitable for three or four units of affordable housing. Brown said that the? Columbia County Land Bank could be a source of support; that nonprofit developers such as RUPCO, Galvan, and Hudson River Housing, as well as some smaller, private developers, could assist with both the construction and management of such properties; and that Trillium CLT would consider helping as well. (The writer of this story is also a member of the CLT board.)
“CLTs are set up to create affordability in perpetuity,” Brown said. The CLT buys the land and the homeowner buys the house, lowering his or her cost. Houses cannot be flipped for a profit. When there is a future sale, the owner and the CLT split the equity that has been generated, and the property goes back on the market as affordable housing.
In other business, the board passed a “standard work day” resolution to qualify a part-time court clerk for retirement benefits; accepted the June 2025 updates to the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan; and, in line with receiving bronze certification from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, pledged to recognize the effects of climate change and maintain a town resilience plan.
A joint meeting to discuss zoning revisions will be held by the Town Board, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Building Inspector/Zoning Enforcement Officer, and the Town Attorney at 5 p.m. on Nov. 18, before the regular Town Board meeting at 6:30. The annual Gallatin Clean Up Day, run by the Highway Department, will take place from 8 a.m. to noon on Nov. 1. Building Inspector Jake Extine shared that the town has its first new house construction of the year, on County Route 11. Gomm announced that Dec. would be his last day as Gallatin Highway Superintendent, “and my retirement starts on Dec. 31.”