NEVERSINK — The Town of Neversink voted to override New York State’s 2% tax cap for the upcoming 2026 budget during their Wednesday night board meeting.

This comes as Town Bookkeeper Patricia Gold cited unavoidable increases for health insurance premiums, as well as other expenses.

Over the course of discussions between Town Supervisor Chris Mathews, former Bookkeeper Teri Lockhart, and Gold, the board agreed on setting the tax levy increase at 3.91%. This is down from their earlier projected 5.44% while still remaining above the state-mandated tax cap.

The public hearing was held at their meeting on October 1st.

They also plan to hold a work session on October 29 at 7:30 p.m. in order to finalize any remaining details.

Gold mentioned that a central focus was adjusting the projected health insurance premium increases. The increase, initially calculated at 9%, was first brought down to 8%. This was then revised to 4.5% after more review and discussion with Councilperson Rich Coombe. 

The board also voted to reduce the contingency account by half, down from $20,000 to $10,000, in order to trim the budget further.

Mathews praised Gold’s efforts on working the budget to a more manageable figure.

“She’s been working hard and putting in a lot of time,” Mathews commended. He also credited Lockhart for playing a key role in catching potential issues and guiding some of the late-stage corrections, adding that “She [had been] very helpful as well.”

With these new figures, Gold expressed confidence that the 3.91% tax levy increase as being the best outcome with the current financial conditions. While not being within the state cap, it was considered a practical compromise between increasing operational costs, as well as fiscal restraint.

The motion to override the 2% tax cap was made by Councilperson Scott Grey and seconded by Councilperson Jim Schmidt. With nobody being opposed, the motion was passed.