The Lloyd Town Board approved their preliminary 2023 budget of $12,964,184. Subtracted from this will be $4,213,186 in expected revenues as well as $18,080 from the unexpended fund balance, leaving $8,732,918 to be raised in taxes.

Some of the key cost drivers in the budget are: Highland Fire at $1,212,170; Clintondale Fire at $113,898; Mobile Life Ambulance at $348,500, the operation of the Police Department at $1,747,377 and Highway expenditures at $2,536,762.

Breaking out benefits in the budget for state retirement is $144,057; fire/police retirement of $281,387; social security $185,603; worker’s comp $86,150; life insurance for Police $4,200; unemployment insurance $500; disability insurance $5,722; hospital/medical insurance buyout $16,500; and hospital/medical insurance at $664,980 for a total of $1,389,099. There is a separate section in the budget for the Highway employee benefits, which totals $411,586.

The supervisor’s salary is $36,000 and each of the four Councilman receive $10,500. The Town Clerk is at $57,500, the Highway Superintendent is paid $67,500 and each of the two Justices receive $35,000 for a total of $273,000.

The tax cap this year was calculated at 7.407 and the actual budget came in just under that at 7.406 or by $227.06. The calculation formula for the tax cap does not include the Mountainside Woods Drainage district and the Highland and Clintondale fire departments, which totals $1,338,345.16.

Supervisor Dave Plavchak said compiling a budget in the current fiscal environment was a challenge.

“We had to go up on everything but luckily our revenues are up enough that we didn’t have to go over the tax cap, so far” he said.

A Public Hearing on the 2023 budget is scheduled for November 2 at 4 p.m. at the Lloyd Town Hall, 12 Church St. Highland.