Arcadia board approves budget
By Donna Comella

Just two days following the November 2 election, the Arcadia Town Board held a public hearing on the proposed budget for next year. Although Supervisor Dom Bartucca and Councilman Mike DeJohn were both unseated in the election, the two stood by the budget that had been prepared, voting with the other three board members to pass the $1.9 million plan.

After hearing just four citizens address spending, Councilman Mike Diamond made the motion to adopt the budget. 'I said before that it was a good budget and I stand by that. It takes the (tax) rate down seven percent and it's fair to everyone.'

Later that night, Bartucca and Budget Officer Joan Grambo said that there had been some inaccurate statements made about the budget during the recent campaign. Bartucca pointed out, for instance, that although it had been said his budgets had been depleting the reserve fund for the landfill, the account has grown from $155,947 to just over $183,000 during his two-year administration.

He added that surplus funds had indeed been used to lower the tax rate, but that the practice is common in municipal finance. He pointed to town budgets from 1996, showing that each year, funds hovering around the $200,000 mark had been used to reduce taxes. But Bartucca's figures also showed a 1996 fund balance of $1,156,073 and an estimated fund balance of $789,000 next year.

The rate for Town residents who live inside the village will be about $1.32 per $1000 assessed valuation; the rate for outside residents will have a rate of $2.93.

Salaries will be paid at $15,250 - Supervisor; $4,000 each for the four council members; $25,200 - Town Clerk; $5,900 - Receiver of Taxes; and $44,000 for Highway Superintendent.

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