Carmel Supervisor Proposes 6.6% Tax Decrease in 2023 Budget
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Carmel Supervisor Michael Cazzari recently proposed his first tentative town budget with a plan that calls for a 6.67% tax decrease in 2023. Under the proposed tax rate, a homeowner with a property assessed at $430,000 would pay $1,900, which is a $133 decrease from this year.
“Although it has been a challenging year for all of us, I devoted much time and effort in the preparation of this budget to keep the cost to the taxpayers at a minimum,” Cazzari stated in his budget message. “Since the onset of COVID, as with the residents, business owners, and taxpayers, the town continues to absorb the rising costs of insurance, utilities, materials, supplies, and equipment, as well as having to deal with the frustration of their availability. As your town supervisor, I will put every effort into keeping the rising costs at a minimum and continue to lobby for funding through grants from federal and state officials.”
Town taxes only amount to about 12 percent of a property owner’s total tax bill. The bulk of it, about 62%, are school taxes. The remaining taxes cover county costs, along with water, sewer, and garbage districts.
About 73% of the town budget pays for employee salaries and benefits. Union members are slated to receive a salary hike of 2.5% to 2.75%, but employee health insurance costs are expected to rise between six and eight percent.
The Town Board offered a retirement incentive to uniformed members of the Police Department, of which four members, with more than 20 years of service, accepted. Meanwhile, the Police Department secured a grant to reinstate its K-9 program.
“These incentives resulted in substantial savings for the resident taxpayers,” Cazzari said of the police retirements. “The Town Board hopes to continue offering the retirement incentive programs for our police officers that result in a budget savings.”
The Town Board is expected to adopt the preliminary budget on Oct. 19. A public hearing on the preliminary budget is scheduled for Nov. 9. A final budget must be adopted no later than Nov. 20.
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