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BALLSTON SPA — Saratoga County officials have proposed a $411 million spending plan for 2024. The tentative budget marks a $32.7 million increase compared to this year’s approved budget and highlights 8% decrease in the property tax rate.
“It is a $411 million budget for 2024,” said city Supervisor Matt Veitch, who last week was re-elected to a ninth two-year term, which begins in 2024.
“It’s going to have an 8% property tax rate cut – keeping it under the state tax cap - and it’s going to put us at $1.95 per $1,000 assessed value. In the time that I’ve been supervisor, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that low, so, good for the taxpayers, you get a little bit of a tax break from Saratoga County,” Veitch said.
The county sales tax revenue projection for 2024 is $165 million - a decrease of $5 million compared with expected 2023 revenues, and real property taxes revenues is estimated at about $72 million, approximately $2.5 million higher than 2023 amended budget totals.
County Administrator Steve Bulger said the county plans on making significant investments in broadband, highway, and other infrastructure improvements in 2024.
Some 2024 Tentative Budget Investments for Saratoga County Residents Include:
• A new program, Teams, that will provide $350,000 in total funding to towns and team sports programs throughout the county that support the health and well-being of children and youth.
• A $2 million broadband expansion project looks to provide high-speed broadband expansion to the towns of Corinth, Day, Edinburg, Hadley, and Providence, utilizing federal ARPA funds.
• Preserving open space and providing outdoor recreational opportunities for residents through investments in our Farmland and Open Space Acquisition and fish stocking programs and by increasing funding for our Local Assistance to County Trails grant program. ($575,000)
• Continued investments to address the opioid epidemic including utilizing Opioid Settlement Funds to create programs and provide services to connect families, veterans, and underserved populations with community-based treatment, rehabilitation, recovery, and support services related to opioid and substance use disorders. ($150,000).
• Emergency Services communications upgrades and a new Fire Training Tower in support of volunteer firefighters throughout Saratoga County. (more than $3 million).
• Robust investments in public safety, including investments in personnel, technology, and equipment for the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Probation Department, Public Defender’s Department, and Conflict Defender’s Office. (nearly $57 million).
Budget workshops are ongoing through November. “As we go forward we’ll see if there’s anything that needs changing or updating,” Veitch said.
A public hearing will take place at the county complex in Ballston Spa in early December, and a special board meeting will be held one week later to potentially adopt the budget for 2024.
The tentative 2024 budget is on view at: www.saratogacountyny.gov/2024-tentative-budget/.
