Porter adopts $7.776 million budget for 2025

Plan forecasts slight decline in town tax rate

Staff Reports

Following some last-minute adjustments, the Town of Porter Town Board adopted its $7,776,301 budget plan for 2025 on Tuesday evening.

The plan reflects a spending increase over the $7.4 million budget adopted by the town for 2024. But it also sees a decline in the town tax rate from last year.

For 2025, the tax rate will be $1.977271 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, down from $2.099896 per $1,000 in 2024.

Supervisor John “Duffy” Johnston said the plan includes inflation spending adjustments for the various town departments, with $2,100 in additional funding for the Ransomville Free Library and the Youngstown Free Library. It also includes cost of living salary increases for town employees.

The town also increased its spending for the two Niagara County Sheriffs Office constables who oversee various duties with Porter, including the town courts. At the board’s Nov. 7 public hearing on the budget, the town’s reimbursements were found to be slightly lower than other municipalities, prompting the change.

“We raised them a little more to make it average (with other towns),” bookkeeper Kimberli Boyer said.

Johnston said the reimbursements for their constable’s service reflected a lower activity volume in the town’s courts, an ongoing state trend.

“They (the constables) get paid when they’re here for one or even a half hour; they get paid three,” he said.

“We had to make some changes to the budget. We understand the economy; it’s a tough thing, but we did raise it back up.”

Under appropriations, the 2025 budget finds: general fund A, $1,821,373; $926,643 (less anticipated revenues); $0 (less expended balance); $894,730 (amount to be raised by tax); and $1.977271 (tax rate per $1,000).

More appropriations: general fund B – $2,286,332; $1,644,515 (less anticipated revenues); $621,817 (less expended balance), and $0 to be raise by tax; highway DB-outside village, $1,704,562; $1,704,562 (less anticipated revenues), and $0 to be raised by tax.

Spending in other departments: water – $479,844; $358,300 (less estimated revenues); $121,544 (less expended balance), and $0 to be raised by tax; and sewer department – $548,923; $239,500 (less estimated revenues); $309,423 (less estimated revenues), and $0 to be raised by tax.

Remaining accounts include: Ransomville light – $9,000 with $9,000 to be raised by tax and per $1,000 tax rate of $0.267898; garbage refuse – $400,000; $400,000 (to be raised by tax), and a tax rate of $200.904068/unit; Ransomville Fire – $261,000; $261,000 (to be raised by tax), and a tax rate of $1.949674 per $1,000; Youngstown Fire – $200,567; $200,567 (to be raised by tax) and a tax rate of $1.058759 per $1,000; lakeshore improvement area phases I, II and III – $52,575; $52,575 (to be raised by tax)), and $250/$50/$5 per unit; and the Harrison Lane road project – $12,125; $12,125 (to be raised by tax) and $575/$50 per unit.

Spending totals are: $7,776,301; $4,893,520 (less estimated revenues); $1,052,784 (less expended balance) and $1,829,997 (to be raised by tax).

Salaries for the town’s elected officials are supervisor, $46,660; deputy supervisor, $8,847; town justices (two) $21,701 each; town council members, $8,265 (each); town clerk, $72,980; and town highway superintendent, $86,096.