BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

MASSENA -- The first draft of the town’s 2021 budget would raise the tax levy for the general and highway funds by 3.78% and use just under $1.5 million in fund balance.

The council will likely be working to widdle that number down over the next few weeks.

Town Supervisor Steve O'Shaughnessy said for residents in and outside the village, the tax rate is currently projected to rise about 14 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

Spending for the general fund is proposed at $5,691,060. Revenues are projected to bring in $2,277,609, with the balance covered by $1,432,436 from fund balance and $1,981,014 from the tax levy. That’s a 4.31% increase in the general fund tax levy from last year, according to the budget document.

Planned spending for the highway fund totals $2,087,922. The first-draft budget calls for $1,374,868 to be paid for through revenues and $713,054 from the tax levy, which is 2.68% more than last year. No fund balance money is proposed for the Highway Department.

The $3,466,000 in proposed capital projects spending would be made up by revenues, the budget document says.

The town is planning to fund the Massena Public Library at $690,361. Revenues will cover most of that, with $60,000 coming out of the fund balance for the library.

The early budget draft calls for $98,950 in spending to pay for fire protection, up 1% from the 2020 figure.

Overall general and highway fund spending totals $12,034,295, with $1,492,436 coming from fund balance, $2,793,081 from the tax levy and the rest from revenues.

Additional revenues to be collected from water and sewer districts amount $34,002, according to a first-draft budget document provided by the town supervisor’s office. In the Highland/Bucktown sewer district, the town is planning to spend $8,249, which will be entirely collected through the tax levy.

The budget document calls for $44,056 in spending for the East Massena consolidated water district, with $20,721 of that projected to be covered by revenues. The remaining $23,334 would come from taxes.

The South Main Street sewer district spending is proposed at $2,418, all of which would come from the tax levy.

The Massena Electric Department, which is entirely funded by rate-payers, is proposing a $12,002,200 budget for 2021.