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| Village board has to deal with lower assessment on the Kmart building in Riverwalk Plaza forcing them to rework the 2020-2021 budget |
Village passes budget
Property owners to
pay $17.34 per each $1,000 of assessed value
WELLSVILLE – Monday
night the 2020-2021 Village of Wellsville budget was passed unanimously.
Mayor Randy Shayler said the new tax rate is lower by one penny
than last year’s rate. The tax rate is $17.34 per each $1,000 of assessed
evaluation. A little over $2.2 million will be collected in taxes.
The reduction is significant Shayler said because the village
lost 2-percent of its tax base,” due to the reassessment of not-for-profit
properties and a drop in the assessment on the former Kmart building in the
Riverwalk Plaza. The now vacant building went from $3.3 million down to $1
million in assessed value.“That had a big impact so we had to call on the department
heads to make cuts in their budgets, so we could lower expenses. They were very
cooperative, and we were able to make significant cuts to bring the budget
down,” he said.
Costs were reduced due to the deferral of the acquisition of
some equipment.
Residents will not be losing any services.
The board also:
· approved a
design change in the construction of the wastewater treatment facility on the
Bolivar Road, changing from using ultra-violet rays to using chlorine for
treatment of wastes.
The board also welcomed Melissa Mullen as the new village
treasurer. She was formerly employed in the commercial loan office at Steuben
Trust.
In dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, Shayler said, some
village employees are working from home others are working in shifts to
eliminate exposure to one another. At board meetings social distancing is
maintained and department heads are joining via phone.
