Middleburgh Village Board Ready to Tackle 25 Budget

MIDDLEBURGH - Middleburgh village board members will develop the spending plan for 2025 next month.

Board members agreed to meet at 6pm on Monday, October 7, for a budget public hearing and a budget workshop prior to their regularly scheduled board meeting. Budget workshops may also be held on October 14 and 21. The spending plan will be approved during the first week of November.

At their meeting Monday, board members held a public hearing on a local law overriding the tax cap, if necessary, for the 2025 budget. No one spoke at the hearing.

Mayor Tim Knight said he has begun reviewing the budget with the village clerk and it is looking like the village will not need to surpass the tax cap, but the local law was needed "just in case."

For the 2024 budget an increase in revenues helped offset some spending increases and keep the Middleburgh village tax rate flat. The tax rate remained at $9.26 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, the same as the prior year. Water and sewer rents also remained flat. Officials said that the village estimated an increase in revenues from sales tax and interest for 2024. Officials said that the sale of some new houses in the village also helped keep the tax rates and water and sewer rents flat for 2024.

The $975,729 budget showed an increase of $9,000 in sales tax revenue for 2024 from $45,000 to $54,000. Interests and earnings were expected to increase from $672 in the 2023 budget to $18,000 for 2024. The tax levy will be increasing from $430,657 to $438,479.

One budget item that will not have to be included for 2025 is funding for ongoing litigation because of a lawsuit with Stewart's  For the 2024 budget, as a result of the lawsuit with Stewart’s Shops over the responsibility for the damages inflicted on the Village Hall and a countersuit, the village budgeted $5,000 for ongoing litigation. Village attorney Fred Mauhs announced Monday that the lawsuit has been dropped by Stewart's.