Patterson Eyes 4% Budget Increase

By Holly Crocco

Patterson Town Supervisor Richard Williams has presented a preliminary budget for next year that surpasses the state-mandated 2 percent property tax cap by more than $134,700.

“The 2027 budget proposes an overall 4.09 percent increase in spending,” he said at the Sept. 9 Patterson Town Board meeting. “Unfortunately, due to rising costs and other factors, it exceeds the amount allowed to stay under the tax cap.”

Williams said there are a number of issues driving this increase.

“Revenue lines are not increasing at the same rate as our expenses,” he said. “Several of the revenue lines are actually trending downward. I have attempted to present as realistic a budget as possible considering a few unknowns, which make this budget incomplete.”

The preliminary budget includes a “modest increase” for the two fire departments, although Williams said the town has not yet received a spending plan from either the Putnam Lake or Patterson fire departments.

“When and if we receive the fire department budgets, these budgets may drive how other revenue and expense lines will need to be adjusted in the overall budget to maintain and reduce the overall tax liability,” he said.

The spending plan also includes a 7 percent increase in electric and natural gas costs, as New York State Electric & Gas still has its 2025 rate increase proposal before the NYS Public Service Commission. According to Williams, NYSEG’s original request was for a 23.7 percent increase for residential customers, and a 17.2 percent hike for nonresidential customers.

In addition, the supervisor said the town hall, EMS, and justice court buildings are all now connected to the Dorset Hollow waster system, as required by the county health department. “As such, we must begin paying the user fees associated with that district,” he said.

Bond payments on the EMS building will also begin next year. “This is a considerable investment in our town’s future in keeping our residents safe,” said Williams.

The transfer station contract for Garbage District Two is up in December, with bids currently being solicited. “At that time we will have a better understanding of the cost,” said the supervisor.

Over the next few weeks, Williams and the town board will meet with department heads to better refine the budget. A public hearing on the spending plan is scheduled Oct. 7.

According to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, more local governments have reported plans to override the property tax cap. This includes school districts, which require a ballot proposition and at least 60 percent voter approval to do so.

“Many local governments are under fiscal pressure, with rising costs and slower growth in recurring revenues,” said DiNapoli. “For local officials trying to close budget gaps or increase revenue to align with spending, overriding the tax cap is an option, and increasing numbers have reported plans to do so.”

New York’s property tax cap limits annual increases in property taxes to the lesser of 2 percent or the inflation factor, with some exceptions. Local governments other than school districts may override the cap if at least 60 percent of their governing boards vote to approve it.

According to DiNapoli, cities have led the increase in recent years, with 45 percent indicating they would override the tax cap for 2026, up from 13.1 percent in 2022. Nearly one-fourth of counties planned overrides for 2026, up from 3.5 percent in 2022.

Towns and villages have also experienced notable increases in planned overrides in recent years. For 2026, 35.5 percent of villages and 28.6 percent of towns planned to override the cap, up from 22.7 percent and 16.6 percent, respectively, in 2022.

Fire districts also appear to be experiencing fiscal pressure. The share of fire districts planning overrides reached 34.9 percent for 2025, before declining to 31.5 percent for 2026, up from 18.6 percent in 2022.

A smaller share of school districts have reported plans to override the cap than other local governments. However, their share has more than doubled in recent years, increasing from 2.4 percent to 4.9 percent from 2024 to 2026.