Saugerties board hears initial budget framing and tax-cap calculation ahead of May 19 vote

District officials introduced the 2026–27 budget process at the March 10 meeting and explained the mechanics of the tax-cap calculation and revenue projections ahead of the May 19 budget vote.

Administration told the board the district's 2025–26 budget is roughly $80 million and emphasized that contracted salaries, employee benefits, transportation and special education are the largest cost drivers. The business-office presenter walked trustees through the state-mandated tax-cap calculation: starting with last year's voter-approved tax levy, applying the state-provided tax-base growth factor, subtracting capital-levy exclusions and adding pilot payments (payments in lieu of taxes). Because New York's cap uses the lesser of 2% or the inflation figure, the district used the 2% factor for this calculation.

Administration presented a legal maximum tax levy figure for the next year that, given exclusions and pilots, equates to an approximate 3.15% increase over the current levy. Officials emphasized that this figure represents the legal ceiling; a budget at the limit would be adopted by simple-majority approval of voters. Trustees asked for clarity about the difference between the 2% cap and the resulting 3.15% levy-change figure and requested additional public outreach to explain assessed value and equalization-rate effects that affect homeowners differently across towns.

The administration offered household-impact examples based on a notional $300,000 assessed home and outlined important calendar dates: petition filing for board candidates through April 20, additional budget hearings in April and May, and the budget vote on May 19 with ballots counted May 26.