Newfield finishes proposed 2023 budget

On Sept. 27, the Town of Newfield finished its proposed budget for 2023, which it will present to residents in a public hearing at its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 13.

According to Town Supervisor Michael Allinger, the proposed budget, a total of $3,736,161 with a tax levy of $2,660,272, is about a 2.7% increase over last year and 0.25% below the tax cap.

Rising fuel costs impacted the budget, causing its electricity and gasoline expenses to increase 50% from last year. Allinger noted that gas prices have almost doubled from a year ago.

Allinger said that while the town plans to purchase vehicles, the expenses will be part of the 2024 budget, not the 2023 budget.

“More than anything else, like everybody else, we’ve been experiencing rising costs in things that we’ve purchased, like gas, vehicles,” he said. “We’re on a rotating vehicle replacement plan. However, we’re not purchasing vehicles for next year.”

Allinger likened the town’s budget to that of a standard American family.

“You still have to look at the same things, and the same things that are affecting families these days are affecting most municipalities in the area,” he said. “You just have a lot of other moving pieces to work with.”

By saving money in other departments, Allinger said that the town was able to offset the increases in expenditures.

“Because the town is in such a strong financial position, we’re able to stay within that tax cap,” Allinger said.

Allinger said his intention was to keep the town’s expenses in check while paying the necessary yearly expenses, such as keeping the town’s roads in good condition.

“Our goal is not to ever go over the New York state tax cap,” Allinger said. “And every year since 2012, we’ve done that.”

In an informational sheet included with the budget, Allinger expressed pride in some of the town’s accomplishments over the past year. Working with Tompkins County and a local internet provider, the town of Newfield was able to deliver high-speed internet to 90% of the nearly 300 households that lacked it (tinyurl.com/2mt7xa82).

Newfield’s town recreation program had a high rate of participation this year, with 150 youth in spring activities, 43 in summer activities and 100 in fall activities, as well as 50 participants in the town’s six-week summer camp program. In the fall, the town completed its project to replace all street lights with high-efficiency, low-wattage LED lights, an effort that began in 2018.

The sheet also detailed some problems that Newfield has yet to address and goals it seeks to accomplish. The town intends to begin work on sewer district improvements next year, having secured two grants last year and submitted a grant proposal to help residents upgrade their septic systems.

The board is recruiting community members to serve on the newly created Youth Commission, starting in 2023. The town is also seeking to improve community spaces, such as installing parking, a pavilion and restrooms in the community park, adding public spaces for tennis and pickleball at the schools and improving the Town Hall with accessible bathrooms and the Sheriff’s Office on the first floor.

Allinger encouraged community members to view the budget online at the town’s website, at tinyurl.com/2hgveqrb. He said he and the rest of the town government strive to be good stewards of the money the public pays in taxes.

“I think the community expects a certain level of responsibility from the town with the money,” Allinger said. “The town always strives to meet those expectations.”

Newfield Notes appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

In brief:

Baby Doll story time postponed

The Newfield Public Library’s special weekly story time, Baby Doll Circle Time, which was originally scheduled for Oct. 4, has been postponed. The event, in which children play with dolls to develop skills such as cooperation, impulse control, literacy, numbers and spatial awareness, has not yet been rescheduled.

For more information, including when the event will be rescheduled, check the library’s calendar page at newfieldpubliclibrary.org/events/month/2022-10/.

Newfield History and Activity Center open

The Newfield History and Activity Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 8 at 192 Main St. Visit tinyurl.com/2o4rn87h for more information.

Dine to donate for Newfield Lions Club at Texas Roadhouse

On Oct. 9, the Texas Roadhouse at 719-25 S. Meadow St. in Ithaca will host a fundraiser to support the Newfield Lions Club. Visit Texas Roadhouse between noon and 9 p.m. this Sunday, present the flyer available at tinyurl.com/2z4aajyg and the restaurant will donate 10% of your total purchase to the Lions Club. Call (607) 272-1621 for more information.

Library closed Monday

The Newfield Public Library will be closed Oct. 10 in honor of Indigenous People’s Day.