New Hartford Budget passes, 46% Tax increase

By MIKE LaFAVE

Story Created: Nov 18, 2009 at 7:49 PM EST

Story Updated: Nov 19, 2009 at 12:25 AM EST

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. (WKTV) - New Hartford residents will now have to pay a 46% tax increase after the Town Board passed next year's budget.

The originally proposed 2010 budget included a 54% tax hike.  Department heads were able to make enough cuts to bring that down 8% to the 46% increase residents now face.

The Town's Budget Director, Heather Mowat, says every department in New Hartford scaled back their budgets.  In the end, $209,000 was saved.  In fact, Mowat, who helped reduce the budget, lost her job to save money.

The New Hartford Town Board passed the 2010 budget by a narrow 3-2 margin at their meeting Wednesday night.

Councilwoman Christine Krupa, who voted against the budget, says even though it was scaled back to 46% is still too much.

"I was hoping we could have gotten it down more," Krupa said.  "And there were a lot of cuts that were proposed by myself and councilman Woodland that were totally ignored."

New Hartford Town Supervisor, Earl Reed, says he takes the blame for the large budget increase.  Reed said he underestimated sales tax revenues, and didn't make slight tax increases the past few years which could have mitigated the damages.

 

 

 
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