Town of Canandaigua property owners could see their General and Highway taxes more than double in 2027 under a budget proposal that combines rising operating costs, earlier equipment-funding problems and a shift toward paying for capital needs through annual property taxes.
The published preliminary budget projects a rate of $2.85 per $1,000 of taxable assessed value, up from $1.20. But draft minutes from a Sept. 30 budget workshop say approved reductions lowered the working estimate to approximately $2.77. Neither rate has been adopted.
The proposal drew criticism in a Facebook post by Jared Simpson, who served as town supervisor from 2022 through 2025. Simpson accurately identified the published $2.85 proposal but alleged that explanations blaming the previous board would be “Lies.”
Budget documents and certified resolutions show specific funding problems involving equipment ordered during Simpson’s tenure. They also show that the current proposal includes decisions about staffing, project financing and capital savings that remain subject to board review.
The 2027 preliminary budget was established Sept. 21. A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. That session, like most town board meetings, will take place at the town hall.
The difference between the published proposal and the working estimate is explained in the Sept. 30 draft minutes. Supervisor Don Cotter said the public-facing budget would remain unchanged until after the hearing, while workshop changes would be tracked separately and incorporated later.
The minutes record reductions in proposed employee raises, smaller increases for town justices, retention of a part-time recreation position rather than converting it to full time, and removal of $45,000 for Motion Junction resurfacing. Together, those changes reduced the estimated rate by approximately 8 cents.
At $2.85, the rate increase would be 137.5%. At the working estimate of $2.77, it would be approximately 130.8%.
Those percentages apply to the General and Highway tax component, not the entire property-tax bill. County taxes, school taxes, fire protection and applicable special-district charges are separate.
One Facebook commenter substantially overstated the dollar impact, saying a property assessed at $500,000 would see town taxes rise from $6,000 to $14,250. At the rates being discussed, the correct amounts are $600 and $1,425 — an $825 annual increase, assuming the taxable assessment remains unchanged. At $2.77, that property’s General and Highway tax would be $1,385.
The formula is taxable assessed value divided by 1,000, multiplied by the tax rate.
The town’s 2027 budget presentation attributes approximately $1.41 of the proposed rate increase to higher expenses and 26 cents to reduced non-tax funding. Growth in the taxable assessment base offsets approximately 2 cents.
The proposed General and Highway property-tax levy rises from approximately $2.37 million to $5.75 million, an increase of about 142.4%. Proposed spending rises approximately 22.8%, from $12.50 million in the originally adopted 2026 budget to $15.35 million.
Property-tax collections would rise much faster than spending because the proposal changes how expenses are financed.
The budget presentation describes a transition away from relying primarily on reserves, fund balance, borrowing and year-end sales-tax surpluses for recurring capital needs. It still includes $1.05 million in fund balance but places more costs in the annual property-tax levy.
The Oct. 7 workshop packet identifies a $573,225 increase in highway machinery and equipment and a $496,000 increase in road-maintenance contractual spending over the original 2026 budget.
Equipment allocations include plows, pickups, a medium-duty truck and other machinery. Road work includes Timber Line rebuilding, Fox Ridge gutters and Ashton Place work.
Other increases include approximately $256,000 combined for General and Highway health, medical and dental benefits, $200,000 toward a culvert project’s local grant match, and $90,000 for highway fuel.
The documents support some Facebook comments about earlier plow orders, although the history is more specific than a claim that equipment was simply never budgeted.
Resolutions from June state that funding for a truck authorized in April 2023 was included in the 2024 highway budget. That appropriation was subsequently spent on other authorized equipment and was not carried forward or reserved for the truck.
The current board authorized $290,061.02 from the Highway Equipment Capital Reserve to pay for it, leaving an estimated reserve balance of $79,278.54.
A second resolution states that two trucks had been ordered in 2023, but officials reviewing town records could not locate a separate purchase-authorizing resolution for the second vehicle. The board ratified that purchase and authorized $300,672.66 from General Fund unassigned fund balance.
Those resolutions document the board’s findings, rather than an independent audit establishing misconduct. They nevertheless provide a specific basis for concerns about earlier equipment funding.
The purchases were funded during 2026. The 2027 proposal separately includes $340,000 for recurring plow replacement and $249,445 associated with a partial 2026 order.
The spending comparison also depends on which 2026 baseline is used.
The town reports approximately $2.95 million in budget amendments during 2026, bringing General and Highway spending authority to about $15.45 million. After removing anticipated open-space reimbursements, officials present a reconstructed town-funded baseline of approximately $14.80 million. The 2027 proposal is about 3.7% above that figure.
Adjusted appropriations represent spending authority, not completed year-end expenditures. The reconstructed baseline also depends on anticipated reimbursements.
The records show both inherited commitments and current decisions. The finance director position, a major contributor to increased administrative personnel spending, was added during 2026 using fund balance. Capital-funding levels, equipment purchases, staffing and project schedules remain board choices.
Onanda Uplands is another example.
The budget presentation says an earlier approximately $2.23 million site and infrastructure plan excluded cabins and an accessible restroom and bathhouse. The current proposal includes a potential $4 million borrowing assumption for a higher-cost completion option while the board considers the final scope.
The proposal budgets $385,000 in principal and interest, although the presentation says a full annual payment is unlikely to be needed in 2027. After additional reserve support, officials estimate the incremental Onanda levy impact at approximately $110,000, or 5.5 cents per $1,000. The budget assumption does not itself authorize the borrowing.
Comments about a large supervisor raise have a factual basis but do not explain the current increase.
The adopted 2024 budget lists supervisor compensation rising from $21,861 to $68,873, approximately 215%. The current schedules list elected supervisor pay at $73,069 in both 2026 and 2027.
Simpson’s warning about reassessment “next year” also differs from the planning records reviewed. April 10 Finance Committee minutes discuss a potential 2028 revaluation. Meanwhile, the September town newsletter says a town-wide reassessment is being explored for approximately two years away.
Reassessment and tax increases are separate processes. Budgets determine how much tax governments collect; assessments determine how that amount is distributed among properties. An individual bill can rise if a property’s assessment increases faster than the overall tax base or if the levy increases. A town-wide reassessment does not automatically increase total collections, according to state tax guidance.
A comment questioning spending on a ravine “just for a walking trail” also omits context if it refers to Barnes Gully.
Minutes from August’s meting show Simpson’s board unanimously authorized an approximately 13-acre acquisition for $305,000, plus $18,000 for a lot-line adjustment. The authorization contemplated open-space funds and water-quality grants. The June 2026 resolutions describe a $340,000 grant-related transaction through the city. The project includes source-water protection and conservation as well as recreation, according to the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council.
A separate comment about STAR exemption savings is accurate: state guidance says exemption savings cannot exceed the previous year’s savings, while STAR credits can rise by up to 2% annually. That concerns school-tax relief, not the town’s General and Highway levy.
The documents establish a substantial proposed tax increase and identifiable funding pressures. They also show that reductions are possible and already being considered. The final rate will depend on the board’s decisions following the public hearing.
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