By Doug LaRocque
Unlike the past few years, where property owners in the Village of Granville have seen the tax rate stay the same, this year’s budget proposal carries a small hike.
Mayor Paul Labas puts the blame on inflationary pressures and significant increases in insurance and retirement costs. Another factor is salaries. They are going up, but Trustee Dan Brown said, “You must remain competitive to keep staff.”
The proposed budget includes a hike of 2.97% for taxpayers, coupled with a $10 increase in water rates and $15 in sewer charges.
For the average homeowner, the increase equates to about $35 a year more in the tax bill. Coupled with the water and sewer hikes, it amounts to about $60 a year more out of pocket.
RERC developments
Village trustees also heard a presentation by Karin Rozell from the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) Branding Committee.
Rozell outlined plans for a website that would promote tourism in both the village and the town, particularly on outside attractions. Rozell labeled it as an “all things Granville” website.
Outside agencies were looking for as much as $30,000 for the site’s production. Rozell said the group found a Granville-based website developer who would do the job for $6,000 and asked that the town and village split the cost.
Supporting the motion, Mayor Labas said “it shines a positive light on Granville.”
The board then approved the expenditure.
Park use
The board had several requests in front of them for the use of Veteran’s Park. They included a sunrise service on Easter Sunday, and an Easter Egg hunt.
The State of the Village
As the end of each fiscal year nears (villages run on a different calendar than cities, towns and counties), Mayor Labas produces a State of the Village address. In this year’s address, Labas highlighted last spring’s two-day workshop that introduced the RERC program. Granville was one of 25 communities around the nation to be so designated, which places it in line for potentially millions of dollars in grants.
In cooperation with the Lake Champlain Lake George Regional Planning Commission, the village obtained a $20,000 grant to help refurbish vacant and underused Main Street properties. A $22,500 grant from the Granville Community Foundation was secured for the construction of two pickleball courts for Mettowee Park. The village DPW, with a lot of help from its friends, again adorned Veteran’s Park, Main Street and various other portions of the village with elaborate holiday displays. Labas described the effort as “a great source of pride for the community.”
In his address, the mayor also commented about the new budget, which he said despite inflationary pressures “remains tax cap compliant.” He said Granville will likely end the fiscal year with small surpluses in the general, water and sewer accounts.
Mayor Labas cited new business development as a priority in 2024 and hopes for another great season for the summer concert series. He also noted that a federally mandated inventory of the village’s water lines is now 75% complete and the police department has returned to nearly full staffing.
