I hope you and your families enjoyed a blessed Christmas and Holiday season. I wish all of you a happy and healthy New Year as well. So far we have been spared the harsh winter we endured last year. Hopefully that trend will continue! As we look forward to a new year, I wanted to highlight some of the information and facts that have occurred during 2014. As I do each year, I want to take a moment to thank the Town employees for their continued dedication to the Town and its residents. Their efforts contribute to the quality of life we have come to appreciate.
I will highlight the upcoming 2014 budget followed by an overview of the projects by department, and some miscellaneous information in conclusion. If you live in the Village of Owego, the tax levy increased by $30,300 which in turn resulted in a total town tax of $66.02 on an average assessed home of 62,800 dollars. This resulted in an increase of $2.34 for 2015.
If you live outside the Village, you pay the Town Wide and Town Outside tax. The Town Outside tax levy increased $139,520 and as stated above, the Town Wide tax levy increased $30,300 for a total increase of $169,820. The total tax paid is $386.14 based on the average assessed home of $99,900 dollars. The Town Wide portion is $105.02 and the Town Outside portion is $281.12. In 2014 the total Town tax was $362.60. This resulted in a tax increase of $23.54 for 2015.
Factors that negatively affected the budget includes a week economy, an approximate loss of assessment of 1.8 million dollars in the Town and Village, continued State mandates, and continued loss of revenue at the Hickories Park. The loss of assessment was much worse but was offset by some new construction, commercial improvements, and other development.
The 2014 amount of revenue received at Hickories Park was approximately $160,000 dollars in camping fees and pavilion rentals. The revenue is still not back to pre-flood levels but is increasing. We expect with the upgrades completed this spring that the revenues will continue to rise back to normal levels as long as the weather cooperates.
At Hickories Park we hope to have the Rebecca Weitsman Memorial Dog Park completed by mid to late spring. Also, we anticipate that a new long lasting band shell will be in place. A big thank you to Senator Libous, The Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation, and some donors to be named later for making this project cost free to the Town.
The process has begun to rebuild the Boat Launch at Hickories and it should be completed in the spring. Continued paving and patching will also occur in 2015. By this summer, the park upgrades should be completed and back to full capacity.
Our Highway Department had a very busy year as they continue to maintain the current infrastructure and are readying for a busy winter and spring season. Work completed last year included the total pavement reconstruction in the Ray Lee Development (Lori Drive), Pavement rehabilitation in the Lincolnshire Development, pavement reconstruction of five roads in Tioga Terrace, pavement overlay on Strong Road, pavement surface treatment on Ridgefield Road in Crestview Heights, and over 286,000 dollars in paver patching and manual hand patching. Additionally, the Whittemore Hill Bridge was replaced. Regular drainage maintenance continued as well.
Beginning Jan. 1, the minimum usage charge for water bills will be based on a minimum usage of up to six thousand gallons at a rate of $34.00, an increase of $2 plus the $6 dollar billing fee for a total of $40.00 dollars per cycle. There will be a charge of $ 5.00 per thousand gallons for additional usage. Capital charges will not increase and will remain at $120.00 per year.
Sewer bills will be based on a minimum usage up to six thousand gallons at the rate of $40.00, an increase of $2. There will be a charge of $ 5.50/ per thousand gallons for additional usage. The capital charge per unit will remain at $110.52, the same as 2014. Homes that have municipal sewer but do not have municipal water will be increased $24 dollars to $348.00 per year ($116.00/bill) for sewer use and the sewer capital fee will remain at $110.52 per year.
Several important projects still need to be completed within the Utilities Department. These include the Main Street water pump house, which was finally approved by FEMA with the help of federal officials, and mitigations at the Apalachin sewage treatment plant that are is still pending approval from FEMA, three years later.
A new State mandate regarding disinfection upgrades to the Owego sewage treatment plant has been mostly funded by a Water Quality Improvement Grant in the amount of $748,000 dollars on a project cost of approximately $880,000 dollars. While this grant is appreciated, it is another example of a mandate not funded in the amount of approximately $132,000 dollars.
The awarded bid for the Main Street project went to G DeVincentis and Son in the amount of $653,000 dollars. The Apalachin Creek project was completed, helping to protect an important sewer line that was heavily damaged in the 2011 flood.
In 2015 the start of a public works project on Newberry and Lancaster Roads in Crestview Heights will begin. We continue to implement an estimated five-year rate structure to help reduce our reliance on fund balance and have true revenue versus expense budget. Lastly after declining water usage, creating less revenue for the town, we appear to have bottomed out. In 2005 usage peaked at about 200,000,000 gallons. In 2013 and 2014 usage is about 156,000,000 gallons. It is imperative to be able to try and accurately predict revenue while trying to address aging infrastructure, increasing costs, as well as federal and state mandates.
While the Town is continuing to recover from the 2011 flood, there is still a lot that remains to be completed. Recently the Town finished closing on, and demolishing 23 properties at a cost of 1.8 million dollars. This was covered 75 percent by the federal government and 25 percent by the State. There are several elevation project applications that are in progress as well.
Also, the Town, in conjunction with the Village, is moving forward on a joint DPW building to be located on the Town Hall property. The project has received preliminary approval and will be moving forward in an incremental approval process implemented by the federal and state government.
Hopefully I have created a snapshot of 2014 in an understandable manner that explains the narrative of positive projects happening in the Town as well as the costs that accompany them. My goal, as well as the Board, is to continue to identify and evaluate long-term solutions to issues in the most fiscal responsible way possible.
I look forward to working with the residents of the Town over the next year. I am privileged to enter my 20th year in public service and I would like to personally thank all of the residents for that honor.
May all of you have a Happy, healthy and blessed New Year!
