Pine Plains adopts 2010 budget

PINE PLAINS — The adoption of the town’s 2010 budget happened so quickly last Thursday, Nov. 19, that some who weren’t paying attention might have missed it. The scene was set at the Town Hall, where the Town Board was holding its monthly meeting.

“The board has finalized the budget,� said town Supervisor Gregg Pulver to the audience. “This is probably the toughest budget we’ve had to face.�

This year’s final budget number is $1,513,750. The tax levy increase over last year’s budget is projected to clock in at roughly 5 percent. That’s after the supervisor, who is also the chief budget officer, pulled $38,500 out of the fiscal plan to keep taxes at a minimum.

“That’s the best I can do,â€� Pulver said. “About 4 percent of that is tied up in paybacks for election machines for the county, health care and retirement funds. I think everybody is faced with the same thing.â€�  

In terms of being able to provide the town with the same services it relies on year after year, Pulver said the municipality will be reviewing the status of its operations more closely now, even though it’s never had a problem meeting its income projections previously.

“This budget should be able to handle it,  but if it’s a very bad winter, half the budget is highway. It’s easy to look at that and gauge where we’re going to be. And maybe things will change mid-year or even quarterly,â€� Pulver said. “It’s one of those years when the county government has every town in Dutchess County really looking at watching its money and taking nothing for granted. Certainly we’re not adding any new programs and nobody is getting any raises.â€�

This year’s budget is $67,500 higher than the 2009 budget of $1,446,250. The supervisor said such increases may not be as feasible in the future.

“I think it’s going to be a tough couple of years, cycle-wise,� he said. “We’re also trying to be aware of all the other problems everybody is having in their personal finances, too.�

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