SULLIVAN – The towns of Highland and Delaware both recently passed their budgets for the 2023 calendar year at their respective Town Board meetings on November 8 and 9.

Due to the Election Day processes taking place in the Town Hall on November 8, the Highland Town Board meeting was held at the Highland Senior Center. Led by Town Supervisor Jeff Haas, the Town Board of Highland unanimously voted in favor of passing the budget. 

According to Haas, there is roughly a 2.5 percent increase in the budget this year. Additionally, there will be a decrease at around 10 to 11 cents per thousand dollars assessed.

“The Board put together a very responsible budget,” Haas said.

In addition to the budget being passed, the Board unanimously voted to become a lead agency in the continuation of the Kate Project throughout the town, and filled out an Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) form in order to progress on the project.

The Kate Project in the town of Highland was initially designed in 2020 by the Delaware Company to increase river access and to amplify the story of the D&H Canal and those who lived and worked on it in the early to mid 19th century.

More information on the Kate Project’s history and mission can be found on the Delaware Company’s website, thedelawarecompany.org/the-kate-project.

Town of Delaware

The Town of Delaware also passed their budget at their Town Board meeting on November 9 with a 0.03 percent decrease.

At recent meetings, the Town Board has expressed concern over the financial status of the town going into the new year in the wake of a loss of $13 million in assessed value due to the results of the tax certiorari case that was filed by the Villa Roma Resort against the town.

It was estimated that the town needed to raise roughly $80,000 as a result of the loss in assessed value, as well as being charged with paying back to the county nearly $500,000.

Delaware Town Supervisor Scott DuBois said that the town plans to pay back roughly $150,000 to the Villa Roma through the Sullivan County Treasurer’s Office via a chargeback on town resident’s taxes. 

To the town’s taxpayers, the chargeback for the town will equate to roughly $56 per $100,000, in addition to the chargebacks on the respective fire and ambulance districts.

DuBois stated that this chargeback will not be a recurring item on a resident’s tax bill.

He also stated that the Town is utilizing $250,000 of the fund balance to cover additional chargeback that would have been placed on the taxes of town residents.

“From a town standpoint, our town budget came in flat. We’ve carved out almost $60,000 because of the Villa Roma loss,” DuBois said, which was made possible by the elimination of two positions within the town.

The Town now sits with an updated assessment of being down roughly $8.9 million in lost assessment from $13 million due to the town having a “really good building year,” according to DuBois.

“It is going to take some time to build the assessment back up,” DuBois said. “We chose this route as a way to tear the band-aid off because next year there will be no more chargeback on our end.”

“We wanted a one-time hit, now we have a new basis and we have to move forward,” DuBois said.