Richmond's Town Board set an Oct. 28 public hearing on its proposed 2027 budget as members searched for spending reductions that could eliminate a small town property tax increase.
At the Oct. 14 budget workshop, members identified changes to community garden and records-management expenses and called for another look at highway unemployment costs. The budget remained a work in progress, with final figures still to be revised before public comment and adoption.
The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Richmond Town Hall, 8690 Main St., Honeoye. The board approved setting the hearing rather than adopting the budget that night.
Supervisor Mike Baker said the version under discussion would add about $5 to the town tax bill on a property assessed at $250,000. Councilman Devan Cornish urged the board to find enough savings or other financing adjustments to hold the town tax rate flat.
Garden, records and highway costs get another look
The clearest spending change involved the community garden. Baker said its appropriation should be reduced from $4,000 to $2,100 to match the project's budgeted revenue, a $1,900 reduction.
Members described the garden as an operation intended to spend the money it raises rather than rely on additional property tax support.
Town Clerk Tracy Lortscher also said she does not use separate records-management budget lines because the work is handled through her regular office duties. Baker said that allocation would be reduced to zero.
On the highway side, members asked whether unemployment insurance costs should fall after changes to seasonal staffing. Baker said he would check how far that line could be reduced before updating the budget.
The search for savings follows an earlier budget workshop at which the board revised several spending requests. Wednesday's discussion returned to the effect those changes could have on related expenses.
Cornish said any small remaining difference could be addressed by reducing the $10,000 contingency line or adjusting the use of fund balance or property tax revenue. Those were options for completing the proposal, not a final budget adopted at the workshop.
Sales tax and savings cushion shape the debate
Members weighed a flat tax rate against the need to preserve money for unexpected expenses and revenue shortfalls.
Baker said the proposal already relied on additional fund balance, leaving projected balances at about 31% of annual expenditures in the general fund and 27% in the highway fund. He described those levels as near the lower end of the fund-balance guidelines discussed during the town's budget planning.
The policy considered in that planning uses a flexible target of roughly three to six months of average annual operating expenses, or about 25% to 50%, for the general and highway funds. It treats those levels as local guidelines rather than a state-mandated percentage and discourages routinely using accumulated balances for ongoing expenses.
Cornish questioned whether revenue estimates could be adjusted, noting the town's history of receiving more sales tax than it budgets. Baker reported $755,637 in sales tax revenue through Sept. 30, with another quarterly payment still to come.
Baker favored caution. He said higher fuel and transportation costs could affect consumer spending and, in turn, the town's sales tax receipts. Members also identified road salt, fuel and health insurance as costs that could put pressure on future budgets.
Recreation staff said program revenue could finish roughly $8,000 to $10,000 above the amount budgeted for the current year. Baker said keeping estimates conservative could leave money available to help cover other costs if that revenue materializes.
The board also discussed reviewing insurance options after the start of the year. Members cautioned that a lower premium should be weighed against deductibles and possible coverage gaps.
Pay requests draw comparisons with other towns
The revised proposal included 3% increases in the justice and supervisor salary lines. Baker also proposed increasing the town clerk's salary after comparing pay in other Ontario County towns.
Members discussed the difficulty of making those comparisons when town offices operate different schedules. The review considered workdays and hours as well as annual salaries.
For the court clerk, Baker described a proposed hourly increase from $20.93 to $22.50 and an increase in budgeted hours from 450 to 550. He said the additional hours reflected a request tied to caseload and the work needed to process cases.
Cornish asked whether that request remained consistent with pay for other town clerks and staff with similar service. Baker said the comparison he had assembled showed an average hourly court-clerk rate of $20.83 among the county towns that reported pay by the hour.
The budget revisions also included another $2,000 in anticipated recreation grant revenue. Baker said he had returned the groundskeeping request to its earlier level because the town had not used all its budgeted hours in recent years, even as the hourly rate was expected to rise.
Board seeks a clearer technology plan
A discussion of meeting-room audio, video and microphone improvements expanded into questions about the town's computer systems, security and past technology spending.
Technology staff raised concerns about aging equipment and said the town still uses a physical server even though some information is saved in the cloud. Staff described a review of the town's systems and the possibility of moving more work off that server.
Cornish said years of spending on upgrades made it important to explain what had already been done and what remained necessary. He called for a master plan identifying the town's technology goals before further purchases.
Baker said the town's approach had been piecemeal and expressed confidence that having dedicated technical expertise would help organize the work. Staff said they would review the needs and bring a proposal back for the board to consider.
Members distinguished leaving money available in the budget from approving a particular purchase. The discussion did not settle a new technology contract or a complete replacement plan.
Newsletter and senior programs remain in the proposal
The publicity budget drew questions because its proposed allocation increased from $10,000 to $14,000. Baker said the earlier amount covered newsletter printing but did not include postage.
He said a separate discussion would examine whether the newsletter could use fewer pages. Members also discussed printing choices while emphasizing its role in keeping residents informed about town activities.
The board heard an appeal for support from the Honeoye seniors group, whose representative described its work helping older residents build friendships and stay socially connected.
The volunteer-run nonprofit welcomes people older than 55, holds monthly meetings from April through December and organizes activities throughout the year, according to the presentation. Its activities include meals, games and outings, and members also help with community events and local charitable efforts.
Baker proposed providing $500 to the group from the $5,000 adult recreation allocation, noting its growing coordination with town recreation programs. The discussion also included possible joint senior activities and another dinner dance.
Ethics and zoning-board records need follow-up
Councilman Stephen Barnhoorn said he planned to propose a code amendment formally allowing an alternate on the town's ethics board. He said the town had used an alternate for years even though that position was not expressly included in the code.
The proposal would come back for board and legal review. No code amendment was adopted at the workshop.
Barnhoorn also described discrepancies in zoning-board appointment records and said the town should clarify terms and use formal resolutions for future appointments. Members discussed following up at another meeting to keep the terms properly staggered and improve the record of appointments.
Baker said the budget adjustments would be sent to the town's financial staff for another revision. Residents will have an opportunity to comment at the Oct. 28 hearing before the board makes its final budget decision.
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