The 2024 budget process is almost completed and, as town board members know from experience, the Town tax rate is “tied” to assessments. Some people have an inaccurate understanding of the budget because they focus only on the tax rate.
The assessment update experienced by residents earlier this year has yielded the exact results the Town Board anticipated. We anticipate the Total Town Wide tax rate to be reduced by slightly more than 1% for the 2024 budget.
The tax rate is an indicator of how the Town is assessing properties according to the New York State Real Property annual report of local property transactions. Those towns whose assessments are below NYS standards typically have higher tax rates than other towns, are more rural in character and demonstrate a higher proportion of land exemptions.
Due to the diligence of myself and the budget officer, we were also able to stay under the NYS tax cap for the 2024 budget – not an easy task with rising prices, the general impact of government mandates, post pandemic recovery and approximately 20% of our total assessed property values being written off due to NYS tax exemptions. The Public Hearing for the 2024 Town of Wheatland Budget is set for Thursday, December 7 at 6pm at the Wheatland Municipal Building.