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HOMES EVERY WEEK! November 23, 2019
Valley News
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
CHAMPS! See » pg. 11
Chesterfield, E’town see tax rate decrease in 2020 spending plans Planning faced 6 to 7 percent increase in health insurance costs, generally By Kim Dedam STAFF WRITER
ELIZABETHTOWN |Area towns are completing spending plans for 2020. Generally, tax levy caps were below 2 percent this year, many closer to 1 percent. Costs for health insurance were up, generally, between 6 and 7 percent.
ELIZABETHTOWN
In Elizabethtown, the town council looked to raise $1,137,278 in taxes for the total $1,873,620 2020 budget. The spending plan used a total $137,945 of fund balance to offset the levy, according to Supervisor Noel Merrihew. The tax levy cap allocated by the state was $36,000, about 2.1 percent. “We’re way under the cap. We went to our reevaluation last year, so the taxable property value in Elizabethtown went up $8 million,” Merrihew told the Sun. The estimated tax rate is dropping 27 cents per thousand, from $6.24 per thousand dollars of real property value this year to $5.97 per thousand in 2020. As to major purchases or expenses for next year, Merrihew said the Town Council agreed to support a key revenue increase request from the Elizabethtown-Ambulance Squad,as the nonprofit, largely volunteer EMS service looks to
purchase a new ambulance. “The board agreed to fund the level they are requesting, going from roughly $35,000 to $74,000,” Merrihew said The town’s highway department is looking to purchase a truck and a sidewalk plow as part of 2020 budget plans. Town employees will receive a 3 percent pay increase, along with a pay increase for the town clerk, Merrihew said. Health insurance costs for town employees went up nearly 7 percent.
CHESTERFIELD
Tax rates in Chesterfield are dropping, too. The total budget was adopted Nov. 7 after the public hearing, and looks to raise $539.017 in taxes (the tax levy) for a total general fund budget of $1,029.818. Supervisor Gerry Morrow said the tax rate for the general fund is $2.26 per thousand dollars of real property value, down about three cents from last year. Revaluation added approximately $1 million to total real property values in Chesterfield. “We’re under the cap,” Morrow said of the levy, which will raise $6,281 less in 2020 for general spending. As to major purchases, Morrow said the town is working on a $9.3 million water project and paying off debt inherited with the dissolution of Keeseville three years ago. Morrow said the debt will be paid off by 2021. General budget fund balance in Chesterfield is at $800,000, Morrow said. Pay increases for town employees are set at 3 percent. Health insurance costs in Chesterfield went up 7 percent. See BUDGETS » pg. 7
Seeking advice
Hikers are enjoying the mountains, but without a parkwide plan some believe that use will be too concentrated in the High Peaks. Photo by Tim Rowland
State appoints advisory group to plan Adirondack future By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
RAY BROOK | Almost like flood waters, surges in hikers on certain days in the High Peaks overwhelm highways and trails, then recede to leave the towns and state with lots of cleaning up to do. Piecemeal efforts to discourage overuse have had marginal success and on occasion have made things worse, officials say, largely because there is no overall park strategy to address the problem. Towns and conservation groups have called for such a plan, and earlier
this month, the state Department of Environmental Conservation bought into the idea, with the creation of a High Peaks Strategic Planning Advisory Group. The group consists of more than a dozen individuals with strong connections to the park, representing a variety of interests. “DEC has assembled a team of talented and committed people to work together to provide advice on a strategic approach that will support the Adirondacks’ local economies, protect the environment, and provide safe, quality recreational experiences for visitors,” DEC commissioner Basil Seggos said in a prepared statement. The group will advise a formal strategic planning process, guided by Acting Executive Deputy Commissioner Judy Drabicki and led by Division of Lands and Forests Director Rob Davies and DEC Region 5 Director Bob Stegemann. See ADVISORY GROUP » pg. 8
4-H teen from Essex County takes third place in Horse Bowl Lydia Visser is a member of Coyote Ridge Riders 4-H Club By Kim Dedam STAFF WRITER
Lydia Visser, 14, poses with the portrait of a horse. A member of the Coyote Ridge 4-H Club, the teen just won third place in the national Horse Bowl competition in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo/Cornell Cooperative Extension
LEWIS/PORT HENRY | A local 4-Her has won national acclaim, taking third place in Horse Bowl Competition in Louisville, Kentucky. Lydia Visser, 14, is a member of the Coyote Ridge Riders 4-H Club that meets in Port Henry. According to Essex County 4-H Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension Jessica Tyson, Lydia earned her trip to nationals by taking second place in state competition out of 38 competitors. “This allowed her to qualify to compete at the Eastern National 4-H Horse Round-Up Competition held in Kentucky on Nov. 9,” Tyson said. See HORSE BOWL » pg. 8
ST TH 3609 Essex Road, Willsboro, NY • (518) 963-8612 • Fax: (518) 963-4583 NOVEMBER 21 - NOVEMBER 27
MEAT
Boneless Pork Roasts ........................................................... $2.19 lb. New Zealand Boneless Leg of Lamb (frozen) .................. $6.99 lb. Shrimp, Peeled & Deveined (31-40 count) ........................ $5.99 lb. German Natural Casing Frankfurters ................................. $5.59 lb. Fresh Whole Chickens.......................................................... $1.49 lb.
PRODUCE
Local Red Cabbage................................................................$1.59 lb. Rutabaga .................................................................................$1.49 lb. Acorn & Spaghetti Squash......................................................79¢ lb. Butternut Squash .....................................................................79¢ lb. Sweet Potatoes .....................................................................$1.19 lb.
DELI
In-Store Made Meat Loaf ..................................................... $5.99 lb. Horseradish Cheese .............................................................. $6.99 lb.
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