Board of Trustees

Village of Ballston Spa Board of Trustees FY 2026-2027 Budget Workshop Meeting held on April 9, 2026 at Village hall. Present: Mayor Rossi, Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, Trustee Price-Bush, Trustee DuBuque, Trustee Dunkelbarger, Village Clerk Little. 1) Call to Order 2) Pledge to the Flag 3) Budget Workshop (Q&A from Board to Mayor Regarding the FY2027 Tentative Budget) Mayor Rossi asked if the Board members wanted him to go over it first and then answer questions. Trustee VanDeinse-Perez felt it was necessary to have him go over the budget and process for the new Trustees and public for educational purposes. Mayor Rossi explained the budget encompasses three funds: the A Fund (General Fund), the G Fund (Sewer Fund), and the L Fund (Library Fund). Mayor Rossi reminded the Board that while money can be transferred from the A Fund to the G or L Fund, the reverse is not easily accomplished, and the funds are effectively treated as separate lock boxes. Mayor Rossi noted ongoing collaboration with the Town of Ballston and Town of Milton assessors regarding updates to senior, firefighter, and veterans exemptions, some of which contain outdated language in the current Village Code. A future local law process will likely be required, potentially encompassing three separate laws. Mayor Rossi explained the tentative budget proposes tax rate increases of 4.61 percent and 3.91 percent, respectively, which represents an over-cap amount of $64,415. This figure, combined with the $40,000 over-cap amount from FY2026. Mayor Rossi highlighted significant growth in the Village's overall fund balance since FY2021, when the combined total across all three funds stood at $2,675,000 — with the Library Fund in deficit and the Sewer Fund holding just $88,000. As of May 2025, the total fund balance had grown to $6,075,000, (May 2025) with the General Fund holding approximately $5,600,000, and a further increase projected to approximately $5,680,000 by fiscal year-end. The Library Fund balance is projected to reach $188,000, and the Sewer Fund stands at $369,000. Mayor Rossi went over personnel (1000 section) rates Trustees and Mayor staying the same but increasing CE for educational training. and increases for court to get them at a more comparable wage. Village Administrator Jen received a 2.5% increase plus longevity pay for her five years of service. Mayor Rossi noted she received a small budget for supplies and signs. For Treasurer and Village Clerk positions, increases include 2 new deputies (50 hrs/split). Trustee DuBuque asked for clarification on the additional position. Mayor Rossi explained they had planned to eliminate a full-time role upstairs when Teri retired to create a full-time building inspector position, but the flood of FOIL requests necessitated additional clerical support. He delayed the full-time building inspector start date to January 1st to avoid exceeding tax cap for base operational funding. In addition to laptop for Treasurer, supplies or any other needs to accommodate the added personnel. Mayor Rossi discussed increases in attorney costs due to ongoing lawsuit and FOIL- related work, raising the budget by $15,000 above his original intention. He noted the labor attorney costs had increased but remained reasonable. Engineering costs increased to $80,000 due to BOA work, water district number 3 improvements for Milltown Center, and anticipated building-related engineering needs. Mayor Rossi noted they would receive reimbursements for BOA work from the state and for water district work from the Town of Milton. Village Hall- Mayor Rossi included $35,000 for rollover work on infill, vault, and retaining wall projects, maintained $15,000 for regular building operations, noting electricity cost savings achieved by Melissa through competitive electricity bidding that reduced rates from .27 cents per kilowatt to .11 cents. Also covers 30 Bath Street operations for court facilities, with additional funding for the new judge's potential software and material needs. Central garage belongs with DPW but personnel services to A & G breakdown to where the contract-based Teamsters rates are how overtime and minimum rates for call in (3 hrs). Marshall & Sterling splitting 3 ways for insurance. Public Safety: Police operations, Mayor Rossi noted they were in contract negotiations and had pushed over $35,000 from the current year due to two officers on injury leave. The village pays for coverage and disability shares, then receives state reimbursement, though they had only received $20,000 of an expected $50,000-$60,000 reimbursement. Police CE going down, they are removing the Speed signs due to a grant. Fire department funding included necessary changes due to revised amortization schedules for the pumper truck loan closing Monday or Tuesday. They expected $2,177,000 from USDA, including $135,000 in grant money. Mayor Rossi would adjust the final budget based on actual amortization tables, working with Fire Chief. The village scheduled to give $135,000 instead of the planned $110,250 for fire department building needs, representing a one-time $25,000 increase to address facade work at Union station and EML roof repairs. Mayor Rossi emphasized this was a one-time scenario and that building money could not come from town funds. Mayor Rossi planned to start a full-time building inspector position on January 1, 2027, while keeping Dave LaFountain for transition purposes at 8 hours per week. He increased Kathy Barner's pay to $25 per hour. Trustee VanDeinse-Perez asked if the $88,000 covered all safety inspections and inspectors. Mayor Rossi confirmed it covered safety inspections and inventory control, supplies and software for downstairs-all included in the payroll sheet. Mayor Rossi detailed street maintenance funding totaling $266,000, including $140,000 for village paving, $20,000 for pickup truck first payment, $12,000 for leaf box, $5,000 for roof repair, $12,000 for paint and signs, and $1,000 for miscellaneous lumber. Increased fuel costs to $40,000 due to rising prices, citing a recent $476 diesel fill-up as evidence of the problem. CHIPS funding followed the standard approach of matching expense and revenue lines since the state budget determines the actual amount. Brush and weeds included a $41,360 tree grant, that former Trustee Kormos helped secure, allowing aggressive tree work along Route 50 and replacement of problematic street trees that had damaged sidewalks and buildings. Snow removal maintained salt costs around $55,000 with additional equipment for salt spreading, accounting for harsh recent winters. Lighting increased slightly to $75,000. Sidewalk funding included $130,000 rollover money, plus recently received CHPE money of $80,000 and anticipated Tonko money of $250,000, creating $500,000 total available for sidewalk work. The $80,000 was earmarked for East High Street and Hyde Blvd repairs necessitated by CHIPS work, while the $250,000 would be allocated on a needs-based system pending federal guidance. Economic assistance funding maintained $14,000 for BSBPA publicity, with Belmont and Saratoga promotion continuing for one more year. Mayor Rossi asked John Shay to promote aggressively for the final year of this approach. Arts funding revealed a shortfall where only $1,500 of a grant was allocated for the concert series, leaving them $1,000 short. Mayor Rossi planned to address this in the final budget, either through fund balance or budget reallocation. Trustee DuBuque confirmed they met with the arts committee the previous night and would provide exact figures. Mayor Rossi indicated flexibility in finding the additional $1,000-$1,300 needed. Parks funding split between different park types, with $70,000 total across three parks. This included mowing contracts, $1,000 for garden club, benches for Wiswall Park, and other beautification needs. Mayor Rossi noted the potential to blend $146,000 in capital planning funds for park improvements, including pickleball court painting. Recreation programming returned to state-specified naming conventions after issues arose regarding automatic payment assumptions without proper contracts. Youth programming allocated $17,000 potentially for BACC but available to other qualifying organizations. Joint recreation programs allocated $12,100, with Mayor Rossi suggesting a contract with BARC based on Nora's detailed proposal. Pool operations increased to $73,000 for personnel services, moving staff away from minimum wage and attempting competitiveness. They rolled over $37,500 for resurfacing, hoping Jim Tedisco would secure an additional $100,000. Total resurfacing costs were estimated at $125,000-$150,000 for medium-grade remarking of the pool floor. Includes electricity, phones, internet that also is needed to be supplied at the pool. Historian funding maintained $2,750 each for Brookside and Ballston Museum, contingent on contract submission. Celebrations decreased slightly to $40,000, reduced by $1,000. Adult recreation allocated $12,500 for seniors programs, with Ballston Area Seniors able to contract for these funds upon demonstrating need. Trustee VanDeinse-Perez requested formalized communication to these groups to ensure proper notification. Mayor Rossi agreed to work with Trustee Price-Bush on documentation. Zoning and planning received normal increases, with an additional $5,000. Storm sewers moved from G fund to A fund with $20,000 allocated for structures and improvements. Water transportation included $125,000 in equipment funding for generator work at wells 4a and 4b, after previous bids exceeded expectations at $170,000+, Mayor Rossi explained they would rebid with revised specifications. Roof work on the Rowland St station, Hydrolytic model support, Hydrants, vales, alarms and meters. Mayor Rossi explained the decision to use amortization for fire and police retirement benefits due to higher increases expected, spreading costs over 10 years at reasonable interest rates. State retirement for other employees showed minimal difference, so they maintained direct payment. Social security represented 7.65% of payroll across all funds. Workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and disability insurance were estimated based on county guidance. Medical insurance increases reflected Teamsters guidance and retiree plan changes, with some employees moving from under-65 to Medicare plans. Debt service properly separated conventional debt from installment purchase debt following state requirements corrected from the previous year with LGSS assistance. Mayor Rossi requested a 4.5% water and sewer rate increase, less than originally anticipated. The increase assumed 3.25% inflation plus 1.25% for reserves, Mayor Rossi planned to recommend moving $60,000 from the current fiscal year to water reserves to the Board. Mayor Rossi outlined the capital planning approach, combining $40,000 from the current year with $64,000 over tax cap for and estimated $146,000 set aside in first-phase capital funding. This accumulated approach would build toward the estimated $275,000 annually needed for major projects. Trustee VanDeinse-Perez questioned whether a more moderate approach might prioritize projects differently. Mayor Rossi explained that DPW buildings represented the highest priority and most immediate need, with active work proceeding with Malta for cold storage building approval on Malta Avenue property. The two-building approach would involve constructing a simple cold storage facility first, then rebuilding the main DPW facility in 2027. Total costs were estimated at $4-4.5 million, with Mayor Rossi suggesting loans of under $1 million each and spending $2-2.5 million in fund balance to minimize interest costs. Mayor Rossi warned about upcoming senior exemption alignment with Milton and county standards, which could have a 3% impact on tax rates for non-qualifying property owners. This might necessitate a 0% capital planning increase the following year, making the current year's 3% approach strategically important. Mayor Rossi emphasized pride in achieving operational balance at tax cap levels despite challenging constraints. Mayor Rossi stressed they were "extraordinarily cautious with limited resources and staying at the tax cap for the purposes of operations" while addressing necessary capital planning for long-deferred projects. Trustee VanDeinse-Perez appreciated the educational value and expressed discomfort with exceeding tax cap. Trustee VanDeinse-Perez just wants to be sure they are achievable projects. Trustee Dunkelbarger had no immediate questions. Trustee DuBuque asked how much the Mayor budgeted for the Art Fair, Mayor Rossi responded with $3,000. Mayor requested to get him the figures from them. Trustee Price-Bush commented that everyone wants to know what’s not important but everything here is important and thanked the Mayor for putting it all together. Mayor Rossi acknowledged the difficulty of budget preparation, particularly praising Melissa's assistance during his absence and noting her increased responsibilities as Rebecca focused more on clerk end of things. The intern Mariah shared her educational experience observing the budget process, noting the significant number of denied requests not reflected in the final proposal and appreciating the detailed explanations of budget categories. Adjournment Motion Passed: Motion made by Trustee Van Deinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Price-Bush to adjourn the FY 2026-2027 Budget workshop at 8:35 PM. All Ayes Respectfully Submitted Rebecca Little Village Clerk