Written by Watertown Post Staff
TOWN OF WATERTOWN, N.Y. — A reported new highway property-tax rate for the Town of Watertown is lower than the figure listed in the town’s publicly posted October budget draft. The difference may reflect changes made during the budget process, but the final adopted budget was not available in the online records reviewed by The Watertown Post.
WWNY reported Friday that the Town Board approved its 2027 budget Thursday night with a highway tax rate of $2.46 per $1,000 of assessed value, effective Jan. 1. The report included comments from Town Supervisor Jim Wright and town resident Jack Snyder. Read the report.
The town’s October 15 tentative budget listed a highway rate of $2.784379 per $1,000, rounded to $2.78 in its summary. That proposal was prepared three weeks before Thursday’s meeting and was not the final adopted budget.
A change between the tentative and final budgets could explain the difference. The records reviewed by The Watertown Post do not establish exactly what changed. The town’s November 5 agenda included a public hearing and a resolution to adopt the final 2027 budget, but the agenda itself does not document the outcome of the vote.
The Watertown Post contacted the town and received no response. As of November 6, the adopted budget and minutes of the November 5 meeting had not been located in the online town records reviewed for this article.
What the proposed budget showed
The October draft proposed $2,222,271 in townwide highway spending, supported by $862,087 in property taxes, $1,079,000 in other revenue and $281,184 from fund balance. Proposed expenses included road maintenance, permanent improvements, equipment, snow removal, employee benefits and debt payments. Those figures remain proposal figures until the adopted budget is independently reviewed.
What the reported rate would mean
At the reported rate of $2.46 per $1,000, the annual highway charge would be $246 on $100,000 in taxable assessed value, $369 on $150,000 and $492 on $200,000.
By comparison, the October draft’s exact rate would produce a charge of about $278.44 on $100,000 in taxable assessed value, or $32.44 more than the reported rate. These examples cover only the highway charge, not a property owner’s complete tax bill, and apply to the Town of Watertown rather than the City of Watertown.
Property owners should use the taxable assessed value applicable to the town levy, which may differ from a home’s market value and can be affected by applicable exemptions. The state’s STAR benefit applies to school taxes, not town taxes.
The outstanding question is what the adopted budget lists for the final highway levy, taxable assessment base and rate. Until that document is available, the $2.78 figure should be understood as the rounded October proposal and $2.46 as the rate reported after Thursday’s meeting.
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