Town of Delaware to cut property tax

By TOM KANE

HORTONVILLE, NY — Despite an increase of $36,000 in the town’s workmen’s compensation insurance, the Town of Delaware will see a potential decrease in property taxes next year. The tax per thousand dollars of assessed value for 2010 will be $9.19. In 2009, it was $9.25.

Total spending, however, will increase. The spending plan for 2010 will be $1,412, 950; last year, it was $1.3 million.

But the picture may change because of several circumstances, according to supervisor Jim Scheutzow.

“We don’t know yet how badly the state’s budget will hurt us,” he said. “We will have to make adjustments when we finally get the real numbers from the state’s budget. We also don’t know how much we will be affected by the county’s expected budget cuts. And there’s the amount of the sales tax that is also uncertain.”

The town is also faced with a serious problem of damage that was caused by recent floods, especially in Kohlertown along the Callicoon Creek. During the recent flood, residents of a vulnerable area around the creek, called “the island,” had to be evacuated.

“Last month, we had 40 residents of Kohlertown come here to urge us to do something now to the streams,” Scheutzow said. “The problem doesn’t just concern the Callicoon Creek but also the streams that feed into the Callicoon.”

At the town meeting on October 21, town attorney Ken Klein suggested that the board draw clear boundaries around the geographical areas affected by the flood and strictly take into consideration the permit process it must follow if activity in the streams will be happening.

The town has to decide if those directly affected by the floods must help pay for any remediation or if all town residents should pay. Scheutzow said that the town does not expect any funding from the county, state or federal government to help defray the costs of mitigating the streams.

It was not clear whether the town will take any action on the matter.