MIDDLEPORT — The village board has adopted a tax cap exceeding 2024-25 village budget that is also driving an increase in the village tax rate.
The village will exceed the state-mandated 2% tax levy cap with a 2024-25 levy that’s 10% greater than the 2023-24 levy. The increase comes in at approximately $746,000 according to Mayor Dan Dodge.
The 2024-25 total tax rate is $13.77 per $1,000 of assessed property value. That’s $1.22 more than the current rate.
The $2.26 million spending plan, which was approved by the village board during its April meeting, will see a year-over-year spending increase of approximately $27,000 compared to the 2023-24 budget.
Dodge attributed the increases primarily to the implementation of the state-sanctioned Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP), a benefits program for senior members of the all-volunteer Middleport Fire Department, which was passed in a referendum by village residents last year.
“LOSAP is a big part of it. We’re hoping to make big improvements on that,” Dodge said.
Dodge said an inter-municipal agreement between the village and the Town of Royalton, which recently adopted LOSAP for three of its fire districts, is “in the works” to share LOSAP administration duties and in turn, would lower the tax rate increase.
“We can’t budget for that full amount and make that assumption that it goes through before it happens,” Dodge said.
The estimated annual cost of the program in the Middleport Fire District is approximately $70,000 for the first 10 years.
Additionally, there will be no changes to staffing or services in the village for FY 2024-25, Dodge added.