By Kevin Ostrowski
CLARENCE — Clarence homeowners would see no change in the town’s general tax rate next year under the preliminary 2027 budget, but the plan behind that steady number leans on more than $3.2 million in savings to balance the town’s biggest fund, while the highway tax rate edges up, driven in part by the price of road salt.
Supervisor Patrick Casilio released his tentative spending plan on Oct. 2. In a statement posted by the town and republished in the Clarence Bee, he framed it as a continuation of his approach.
“As Town Supervisor, my goal has remained the same: maintain the services residents depend on while keeping taxes low and spending responsible,” Casilio said.
The Town Board is scheduled to hold its public hearing on the budget, and to consider adopting it, at its Wednesday, Nov. 4 meeting.
The general fund rate holds
The general fund tax rate stays at about 57 cents per $1,000 of assessed value ($0.571183), according to the supervisor’s statement. The town says the average homeowner pays roughly $600 a year in total town taxes, which are separate from county, school and fire district bills.
“During my tenure as Town Supervisor I have not gone over the State mandated Tax Cap,” Casilio said.
The budget hearing summary the town posted on its 2027 budget page fills in the math. The general fund carries $18,833,238 in appropriations against $11,464,847 in non-tax revenue. To close the gap, the plan appropriates $3,263,048 from the fund balance, the town’s accumulated savings, plus $300,000 from a debt reserve, leaving $3,805,343 to be raised through property taxes.
In other words, the general fund draws nearly as much from savings as it does from the tax levy. Across all funds, the summary shows $32,760,753 in appropriations and $3,763,156 in fund balance put to use, with a total town levy of $15,173,164 (or $15,409,574 including other charges).
Leaning on reserves is a common way for towns to keep rates flat, and it is a fair question for residents to raise at the Nov. 4 hearing: how large is the remaining balance, and how many more years can it carry this load? The posted summary does not answer that.
Salt costs more than blacktop
The highway fund rate is going up, from $0.811517 to $0.853802 per $1,000. The highway fund totals $7,821,089, with $5,688,210 raised by taxes and $350,000 drawn from fund balance.
Casilio pinned part of the increase on a state rule requiring towns to buy road salt from New York mines.
“Today, the Town pays more for road salt than for blacktop used to repave our roads,” he said.
Other line items are climbing too. Contracts with the volunteer fire companies rise 3%, with cancer insurance and the Length of Service Award Program for volunteers continuing, and the Central Alarm rate rises from 0.045742 to 0.053740. Fire district rates move in different directions: the summary shows Clarence Center falling to 0.493877 and Harris Hill to 0.654144, while the Rapids district rises to 0.374328.
Employees get raises, and the Senior Center gets what the supervisor called a significant funding increase. Elected officials do not.
“As in previous years, there will be no pay increase for the Town Supervisor or Town Board,” Casilio said.
A recreation center and a park in the Hollow
The budget also sketches a list of projects. The biggest is converting an existing Highway Department garage into the town’s first recreation center, roughly 40,000 square feet. In Clarence Hollow, the town plans to buy two properties next to the farmers market to add a pavilion, bathrooms and a display area, turning almost 3 acres into a pocket park.
The plan also lists about 5 miles of sidewalk along both sides of Sheridan Drive, design work for sidewalks in Clarence Center, safety improvements on Delaware Road, resurfacing of the Town View pickleball courts and repairs to the Peanut Line bike path. It keeps four School Resource Officers in place.
Culture and recreation is already the largest slice of the general fund at $4,019,149, or 21.3%, according to the summary, followed by debt service at $3,971,989 and employee benefits at $3,672,800.
“Careful planning and smart investments allow us to absorb many of these increases while maintaining strong services and avoiding large tax increases,” Casilio said.
What to watch
Before the hearing, the board’s Oct. 28 agenda includes setting a public hearing on proposed Local Law 2026-10, which would amend the town’s taxation chapter, and a request to lower speed limits on Anfield Road, Eastmore Lane and William Smith Way. The agenda doesn’t spell out what the tax law change would do.
Neighboring towns are wrestling with the same pressures. The Chronicle reported this week on the Town of Tonawanda’s 2027 budget, which also tests the state tax cap.
Residents can read the full budget documents on the town’s website and speak at the Nov. 4 hearing at Town Hall, 1 Town Place.
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