The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan

The Peru Town Board unanimously approved the Town of Peru’s 2015 budget at its Monday, November 10, 2014 meeting. The Town’s general, highway and water district tax rates will decrease, while sewer tax rates will slightly increase. Here are the projected 2015 tax rates per $1,000 dollars of taxable property value. Two water district (2005) bonds were paid off in 2014 permitting the 23% reduction in water district tax rates. Click here to review the 2015 Budget

                                 2014                2015

General               $2.10               $2.07

Highway             $2.58               $2.54

Water                    $3.03               $2.33

Sewer                     $0.25               $0.26

Valcour Sewer   $0.37               $0.38

Valcour #2            $0.45               $0.48

$1,370,951 ($1,364,951 in 2014) will be appropriated to fund the general portion of the budget with $378,679 funded by fees, fines and other revenues, $140,000 from the 2014 fund balance and $852,272 from taxes. The general budget funds operations such as the town board and supervisor’s office, legal fees, data processing, office equipment, the town clerk, the highway superintendent’s salary, planning and zoning, town court, parks and recreation.

Highway Department appropriations for 2015 total $1,572,226 ($1,605,945 in 2014) with $521,523 generated by services to other governments, New York State highway maintenance monies and $1,050,703 in property taxes. Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell said he plans to pave three miles of highway in 2015: the Dashnaw Road between the Laphams Mills Rd. and Route 22 and the Fox Farm Road from Route 22B to the Rockwell Road. Additional paving might be done, depending on the cost incurred on these projects.

The Board will receive a $800 flat pay raise along with all staff members regardless of pay grade. 2015 salaries for elected officials will be:

Supervisor                                    $23,686

Board Member                             $ 7,299

Town Clerk/Tax Collector      $23,810

Town Justice                              $18,201

Highway Superintendent       $55,000