The Tupper Lake Village Board met on Thursday to propose its tentative budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. From left are Trustees Eric Shaheen and David “Haji” Maroun, Mayor Mary Fontana and Trustees Richard Pickering and Leon LeBlanc. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

TUPPER LAKE — The village of Tupper Lake released its preliminary budget draft for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The budget is expected to fall under the state-imposed tax cap, and also marks a slight decrease in total spending — and the tax rate — from last year’s budget.

The draft has appropriations for the coming fiscal year totaling $3,317,206.89, a $1,632.78 decrease from the current fiscal year’s adopted village budget of $3,318,839.67. It amounts to a 0.05% decrease in spending and a 0.13% decrease in the tax rate.

As it stands, village residents would pay $15.76 per $1,000 of assessed property value, a decrease from $15.79. Someone who owns a $300,000 house in the village would pay $4,729.44 in taxes, down from $4,735.68.

The slight decrease comes as the village’s total tax valuation for the coming fiscal year rose by 0.18%, increasing from $143,459,737 last year to $143,726,121 this year.

Of the total tentative budget, $2,265,811.89 would be raised by real estate tax levy — a levy that is $45,665.11 under the $2,311,477 allowable property tax cap. The other $1,051,395 comes from non-property tax revenues. The village is expected to earn $951,395 in revenues from various sources other than real estate taxes, such as PILOTs, fines and fees from rental of village property. The village estimates an additional $100,000 from an appropriated fund surplus at the end of the current fiscal year.

There was no public comment at last Thursday’s meeting where the tentative budget was first publicly introduced. The village board will hold a budget workshop meeting from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday. They will meet with department heads and go through the line items of each department’s budget.

Village Mayor Mary Fontana said she was proud of the work undertaken to deliver a budget proposal that does not increase spending. She said at the workshops, the board will look for any ways to trim the budget where feasible.

“We’re going to try to do only two work sessions because the budget is in good shape,” she said. “It’s very lean. The fact that we met the cap is really refreshing, so I think right now it’s just going to be fine-tuning the opportunities for savings and resources.”

Fontana added that a significant factor in keeping costs in check was consolidating staff positions and responsibilities within the village, which was able to be accomplished through not replacing some positions that were either currently open or saw retirements.

“We played musical chairs,” she said. “As we’re maneuvering people and money and positions, we’re consolidating some of the responsibilities so we’re able to replace two people with one-and-a-half, essentially.”

She cited Mary Casagrain — who officially retired as both the village clerk and treasurer on Jan. 17 — as well as Pete Edwards, who she said is anticipating retiring in June. Currently, Edwards serves as both the town and village code enforcement officer. She said that when Edwards retires, the plan is to have the town of Tupper Lake fully assume the role, with the village not replacing the position.

Fontana said the consolidation was discussed with the town, and it makes sense.

“I mean the writing is on the wall with some of this stuff,” she said. “We’ve expanded to our boundaries. Our tax base isn’t growing. It really makes sense now to consolidate the services where necessary.”

As for Casagrain, who served in the two positions, Fontana said the positions have not been consolidated — as Kyle Fuller serves as the treasurer and Kathy Savage serves as the clerk — but Fuller has also taken on a position with the village’s electric department, providing some consolidation and savings.

“We do now have a village treasurer and a village clerk, so we didn’t necessarily eliminate her position in any way, shape or form, but the role of treasurer was assumed by Kyle Fuller, who has also taken on another role as part of the electric department, which has vacated the deputy clerk’s role.”

Fontana thanked Casagrain for helping Fuller to prepare the budget after she officially retired, as Fuller assumes the new role.

“We appreciate the help of Mary Casagrain, who came out of retirement to assist Kyle in preparing the budget,” she said. “I don’t think people truly understand the amount of work that goes into budget prep, so kudos to Mary and Kyle for presenting such an attractive budget.”

Fontana said the board has not yet set a date to adopt the 2025-26 budget, but she said she expected that date to be set at the board’s regular April meeting. To view the village of Tupper Lake’s tentative budget, as well as adopted budgets from past years, visit tinyurl.com/nauaadha.