Harpersfield Adopts 2026 Budget

HARPERSFIELD  –  No one spoke during the budget hearing or the hearing to override the state tax cap last Wednesday as members of the Harpersfield Town Board went ahead with adopting the 2026 budget.

Appropriations for 2026 total $1,953,581.68 and will be offset by $541,290 in anticipated revenue and $185,000 in unexpended balance, with the amount to be raised by taxes at $1,227,291.68.  The increase is $47,359.77 over the current budget and more than $20,000 over the allowable tax cap. The percentage increase is 3.9 percent.

The budget figures are available on the town's website.

The town is working to comply with NYS.gov requirements for the towns, regarding websites and public notices.The bill requires all municipalities in New York to maintain an official website with a ".gov" domain that is accessible to the public and regularly updated. The website must contain basic information about the municipality, including hours of operation, elected officials, and services provided. It must also include a privacy policy, documents required by law, notices of municipal elections and meetings, and an up-to-date version of the municipality's codes and local laws. The bill also amends the existing law to require municipalities to make certain financial documents accessible on their official websites.

The town is now using Positive pay which is a program that provides a double check for fraud, according to Supervisor Lisa Driscoll.

The board also adopted a resolution in  support of Congressman Nick Langworthy's Energy Choice Act, which opposes government-mandated natural gas bans. The county Board of Supervisors as well as the other towns in the county are expected to adopt the resolution. The bill is H.R. 3699, S.1945.

The act was to go into effect Dec. 31 to require all-electric building permits. Langworthy's proposal would ensure that people will still have a choice of how to heat and cook in their homes. People should contact representatives: Assemblyman Chris Tague, Senator Peter Oberacker; Congressman Nick Langworthy, Alise Stephanic, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

A press release indicates the Langworthy bill is to prohibit states or local governments from banning an energy service's connection, reconnection, modification, installation, or expansion based on the type or source of energy to be delivered. Congressman Langworthy, who serves as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and as a member of the Energy and Environment subcommittees, has made protecting Americans’ energy choices a top priority.

"Governor Hochul and Democrats in Albany have waged an extremist crusade against natural gas that’s sent home energy costs through the roof, crippled our energy supply, and left New York teetering on the edge of an energy crisis—all to satisfy the radical fantasies of the far-left climate cult. New York has been ground zero for the Green New Deal, where common sense goes to die and working families get stuck with the bill," said Congressman Langworthy in a press release.“That’s why I’ve introduced the Energy Choice Act—to slam the brakes on these reckless, ideological mandates and restore sanity to America’s energy policy. People deserve the freedom to choose energy that is affordable, reliable, and proven—not be forced into rolling blackouts to please eco-activists who don’t live in the real world. I thank Senator Justice for introducing this bill in the Senate and urge its swift action.”

Lawmakers in New York are calling for a special session to repeal the state's All Electric Buildings Act.

The town will be selling the skid steer and the backhoe used at the transfer station to purchase a new used backhoe for the transfer station.

Supervisor Driscoll reported that Verizon is expected to return with cell tower service by the end of the year.

Board members also discussed Comprehensive Highway Improvement Program funding, with reimbursement for the new truck in the spring. There was also discussion about a project on Gun House Hill Road, which is a Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation Service project. The grant is for $500,000, but the project is estimated at $560,000. So the town will have to contribute, most likely in in-kind work on the part of the highway crew. Superintendent Russell Hatch will check on the timeline for the project.

The next meeting will be held Dec. 10 at 7 p.m..