OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Portland Town Supervisor Rich Lewis will remain at a salary of $8,615, according to the 2024 Town of Portland budget.

PORTLAND — The 2024 town budget shows another slight increase from the previous year.

The Town tax rate jumped nearly 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, from a rate of just over $5.20 in 2023 to just over $5.30 for 2024. The increase follows a trend, as the rate of $5.10 in 2021 raised to $5.15 in 2022, then to $5.20 in 2023. The Town levy for 2024 is $878,620, which was $10,439 under the limit for the Town.

The budget reflects the expiration of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, with total estimated revenue of the Town decreasing from $388,753 to end 2023, to $226,506 of expected revenue in 2024.

The general fund amount to be raised by tax is $323,507, while the Highway Department townwide amount to be raised by tax is $243,363. The public library fund required $81,734 to be raised by tax. Together, all three figures total $648,604.

Of the four water districts listed on the 2024 budget tax line, Water District 7 has the highest figure at $50,716. Water District 2, which is undergoing a substantial improvement project, is second among the districts listed at $45,805. Water District 5 required $25,270 to be raised by tax, while Water District 8 required $21,266.

Two fire protection contracts were listed in the amount of $62,000 (Fire Protection 1) and $21,959 (Fire Protection 2), at no increase from the final adjusted budget of 2023.

The Portland Fire District represents a subtotal of $90,048. Subtracted from the initial Town Levy of $968,668, the Town managed to stay under its Levy limit.

In the latest budget, the allocated amount for the Town Court jumps nearly $25,000 from the actual figures of 2022, to $102,095 in the 2024 budget. The total figure in 2023, as amended, was $96,433. Increases from 2023 to 2024 include an additional $2,002 for the Court Clerk; $500 for the Deputy Clerk; and $400 for the Court Officers. Equipment also increased from $500 to $1,000 and contractural expenses jumped from $9,560 to $11,820.

Since 2022, the Court Clerk and Deputy Court Clerk figures have risen substantially. The actual cost in 2022 for the Town Court was $77,850, with $37,016 allocated to the Court Clerk; $23,205 to Town Justices; and $4,437 to the Deputy Court Clerk.

From the actual figures of 2022 compared to the budgeted figures of 2024, personal services of the Town Justices increased less than $700, but the Court Clerk increased by more than $6,600 and the Deputy Court Clerk increased from $4,437 to $17,223.

Also of substantial increased cost to the Town of Portland in recent years is the contractural expense of an assessor. The actual figures of 2022 showed a contractural expense of an assessor to be $1,392. The year to date figure in 2023 as of Sept. 30 was $992. However, the 2023 budget was amended to reflect a figure of $5,500 for assessor contractural expenses. Now in 2024, the Town has budgeted $45,699 in contractural expenses for an assessor.

Another notable increase to the budget is regarding employee benefits. With an increase of $9,000 to state retirement costs, the total budgeted figure in 2024 for employee benefits is $101,119, compared to the final 2023 figure of $95,540. The Town also increased its undistributed employee benefits total by just over $4,400 from the previous year, driven by a $1,600 increase to hospital and medical costs.

The Highway Department, overseen by Superintendent Ken Becker, received an increase of $2,900 – with a $2,400 increase of Village services and a $500 increase of Clerk personal services – for a total budgeted amount of $90,951. The budgeted amount for Highway Garage equipment decreased from $11,800 to $3,000 since the previous year’s amended budget.

Improvements to the Town Museum represent a much lower figure in the 2024 budget, after major renovations amounted to an amended budget figure of $55,400 to close 2023. The Town has now budgeted $17,500 for the Museum in 2024.

The Town also has $6,000 budgeted for contractual expenses of parks, down from $20,847 in 2023.

Town Supervisor Rich Lewis receives a salary of $8,615, with an additional $500 allocated to contractual expenses and $250 for equipment. The total figure in 2024 of $9,365 is down from 2023, where $2,000 in contractual expenses and $500 in equipment pushed the 2023 figure to $11,115.

The Town Board figure in 2024 is also down this year, with contractual expenses dropping from $2,000 in 2023 to $1,000 in 2024. The Town Board total figure for 2024 is $14,500, with each member receiving a salary of $3,375.

Becker receives a salary of $81,951 as Highway Superintendent; Daniel Larish and Daniel Thompson each receive $11,951 as Town Justices; and Barbara Smith receives $34,039 as Town Clerk.

The complete Town budget is available at townofportland.org