For the third year in a row, property owners will see no increase in their town of Farmington taxes.
After a public hearing Monday, Nov. 18, the Farmington Town Board approved a $651,317 tax levy for 2014.
That levy will translate into a tax rate of $1.40 per $1,000 of property value.
Farmington’s levy was $651,834 in 2011 and budgeted at $651,317 in 2013.
Farmington set a total 2014 budget of $1.018 million.
While most revenues come from local property taxes, the town will also receive $258,091 from the state, most of it through shared revenues and transportation aids.
The town’s state revenues have dropped by $26,000 since 2011.
Farmington budgeted $53,200 in revenues from licenses and permits, $5,284 from fees for public services, and $48,000 from the town’s share of insurance recovery money related to the old landfill.
Farmington budgeted $170,026 for general government expenditures, $175,645 for public safety, $502,550 for public works and transportation, $61,205 for sanitation, $11,170 for health and human services, $59,266 for culture and recreation, $20,000 for capital outlay and $9,630 for its contingency fund.
Town Chairman Dale Trinrud said the capital outlay would pay for Farmington’s share of a new patrol boat on the Chain O’ Lakes.
The most notable change in general government expenditures in 2014 over 2013 is for elections. Four elections are scheduled for 2014, which will increase spending in this line item from $3,973 in 2013 to $11,500 in 2014.
Farmington will spend $350,000 for road work in 2014, up by $25,000 over this year.
The town budgeted $75,000 for snow removal in 2013, but estimates it has spent more than $117,000 this year, which has been significantly higher than the $65,000 spent in 2012.
Farmington budgeted $100,000 for snow removal in 2014.
For 2013, the town budgeted $48,000 for recovery costs related to the old landfill in Dayton. However, those expenditures did not materialize, so next year’s budget anticipates no recovery costs.
Farmington’s 2014 budget also includes $9,571 in new expenditures to help support the county’s Processing and Transfer Facility in Manawa.
Trinrud said recycling revenues are no longer covering all the costs to operate the PTF, so municipalities are contributing to it based on their population.
Nearly all of the town’s budget for culture and recreation goes to Waupaca so Farmington residents may use city parks and facilities.
Plans to build a new town hall have been delayed, Trinrud said Monday, because the bank foreclosed on the land the town planned to purchase.
He said Farmington must wait until late February before the issue is resolved and the land becomes available.