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DeRuyter continues to enjoy strong economic health and we continue to have one
of the lowest tax rates per thousand in the county at $2.10 out side the Village and $2.40 within the Village. The Town Budget is divided into four major areas. The “A”
budget is for general funds for the whole town, including the Village. The “B” budget is general funds outside
the Village. “DA” and “DB” are highway accounts divided the same as the A and B budgets.
The “A” budget includes costs for: legislative, judicial, tax collection,
assessment, lawyers, town clerk, building operations, dog control, cemetery maintenance, highway superintendent salary, museum,
veterans service, and programs for the aging. This budget totals $244,475, $199,125 of which comes from property taxes.
The remaining comes from revenue items such as clerk fees, court fines, interest, mortgage tax, and state revenue sharing.
Mortgage tax revenues account for nearly $20,000. Obviously, this item is very important in our budget, it is crucial
that the DeRuyter housing market remains strong – we all benefit from it in lower property taxes. A
thousand dollars in the budget is roughly a penny to the tax rate, this item is directly responsible for the equivalent of
20 cents per thousand to your tax bill.
The “B” budget is $12,970 this year,
down from $16,297 in 2008. This budget primarily pays for Zoning and Codes enforcement costs which is not included in the
Town-wide budget because the Village does not have Zoning and pays for its own codes enforcement. This budget receives revenues
from building permits and registrar fees.
The
DA budget is our winter highway budget. The Town plows all streets within the Village; therefore it is taxed through the entire
tax base, including the Village. This budget purchases and maintains the Town’s highway equipment and purchases sand
and salt for the winter months. This budget totals $185,128, but since we plow state and county roads, we budget a reimbursement
of $128,000 leaving a local tax levy of $57,128.
Lastly, the DB budget is the highways working budget during the summer
months when they are maintaining the Town highways. This budget is $169,395, of which approximately $53,000 is reimbursed
through the state Consolidated Highway Improvement Program, or CHIPS.
The tax rate for the Town outside the Village is also affected by county sales
tax revenues. The Town takes its share of sales tax as a payment from the County to reduce property taxes. This does not affect
the rate within the Village as the Village takes their sales tax share to reduce Village taxes, not Town taxes. This year’s
sales tax share was $131,189, down from $142,334 in 2008. Shopping locally has a significant impact on your Town tax bill.Overall, the 2010 budget is $5,233 lower than the 2009 budget. This was reduced
to keep up with the $5,300 reduction in projected revenues. Since 2008, revenues are down over $8,000,
or the equivalent of 8 cents per thousand in your taxes. The tax rate, however, has only increased about three cents. The
town board has been committed to keeping the tax rate stable as our federal and state economies struggle.
The future is uncertain. Economists are now telling us to prepare for the possibility
that the economy will not improve until 2014. This is very alarming for me. While the Town has been able to lower costs and
utilize fund balance to keep taxes stable, we have not been able to properly plan for our biggest expense, equipment replacement.
In 2008, the Town purchased a 10-wheel plow/dump truck. This truck cost at the time over $160,000. In 2009, we purchased a
Volvo wheel loader for around $85,000 after trade-in. These costs are staggering, our ability to properly plan for them is
significantly hampered by the economy. We would typically start preparing the budget for 2011 in September.
This year, however, we are starting the process now. We must and we will find a way to keep DeRuyter in good fiscal health
throughout this recession.
The town budgets are complicated and confusing, but it is important that you all understand where your local tax dollars are
going. Governments are known to waste money. I can assure you that every dollar spent in the Town of DeRuyter is carefully
considered.
LEGAL NOTICE
TOWN OF DERUYTER
Notice of Filing of Annual Report
Notice is hereby given that a copy of the Annual Financial Report for the Town of DeRuyter for the fiscal year
ending December 31, 2008 has been filed this date with the State Comptroller’s Office.
A copy of the report is also on file in the Office of the Town Clerk where it is available for inspection during regular
hours.
Daniel S. Degear, Supervisor
Dated: March 2, 2009
Summary of Annual Financial Report
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