The town of Clifton Park has released a preliminary budget for 2024 and will soon take comments from residents.
Republican Town Supervisor Philip Barrett says the roughly $21 million plan is up about 3%, $688,000, from the 2023 budget.
“We're very proud to once again say that the Town of Clifton Park will not have a general fund property tax," Barrett said. "We continue to, we believe, place funding in the right places, we have the right priorities. And a lot of that comes from the feedback we get from residents on a regular basis. So, we continue to expand recreational opportunities, expand our parks, and recreational as well as our trail networks.”
In his 10th term as supervisor, Barrett touts Clifton Park’s low tax ranking, one of the lowest in the state, according to the comptroller. Barrett says the town’s tax structure allows the town board to adapt to changing circumstances.
“Because we don't have a general fund property tax. Our revenues can be somewhat more fluid," Barrett continued. "And but that has also acted as a guardrail for boards in the past as well. Because we need to be very conservative in our budgeting, we need to be careful about how we budget for the next year. Because like I said, our revenues can be somewhat more fluid. The good news is that we've continued to work hard to make sure that our economy is diversified, that we have a successful retail base, that that drives a lot of that sales tax revenue.”
Barrett and the rest of the town board have heard comments from town residents regarding the proposal.
Deputy Supervisor Anthony Morelli says community feedback is vital to crafting the budget.
“The public hearing is an opportunity for us to tweak it a little more based on our resident’s input and we and we do value that I value that personally," explained Morelli. "I have received input from email and phone calls from residents. I look forward to that hearing and listen, you know, that's really a listening session for me and for my colleagues and then we'll come back and hopefully pass the budget late later in November, but it's a budget that we can really be proud of because it really gives shows that the town and Clifton Park residents in a lot have value out of their town government and that's what we strive to do.”
With that feedback, Morelli says, the town board is able place funds into projects that matter to residents.
“In recent years, we've been a, we've invested a lot in infrastructure, as you know, most towns do," said Morelli. "But I think we've done a little more than other towns where we've also been able to invest in things like recreation, we have 10 new pickleball courts that we anticipate unveiling later this year, early in 2024. We've invested in the new veterans. Memorial, and we've just been a new playground at the Clifton commons, we've been able to do a lot with the funds were allocated, but it's important as we move forward, that we continue to have the resident’s input and buying into things that we're putting our efforts towards.”
The Clifton Park town board recently preserved more than 1,800 acres of land to create new parks, nature preserves, and 17 miles of trails.
Residents can review the preliminary plan on the town’s website, and can comment on the $21 million budget at a public hearing November 9th.
