ALTAMONT — At $2.52 million, the village of Altamont’s tentative budget for 2022-23 is up about 5.6 percent over this year’s adopted spending plan.

The hike in next year’s budget is driven by increases in each of the three funds that make up the village budget: general, water, and sewer. But Altamont officials every year stress the preliminary nature of their first-draft budgets; for example, last year’s tentative spending plan was 3.4 percent higher than the budget adopted by trustees.

Total general-fund spending is set to increase about 4.76 percent, from about $1.4 million this year to $1.46 million next year. 

The drivers of next year’s expected budget increase include:

— Total general government support is set to grow from about $223,000 to $250,000, due in part to a $25,000 increase, up from $0 this year, in an audio-visual line item;

— Employee benefits are set to go up from about $165,000 to approximately $176,500;

— The parks and recreation budget line is expected to increase from about $55,000 to $67,800;

— The village’s contribution to the Altamont Free Library’s annual budget is set to increase from $58,000 to $65,000; and

— Debt servicing for a bond anticipation note (BAN) will go from $0 to nearly $18,000.

On the revenue side, the village budgeted $600,000 in sales tax from Albany County, up from its typical anticipated $585,000.

Total general fund revenue is expected to increase from $1.19 million this year to $1.21 million next year, with about $257,500 needed from the village’s rainy-day fund to close its budget gap for 2023-24, which is up from about $211,000 that was needed for 2022-23

Total appropriations for the water fund are expected to increase about 6.76 percent next year, from about $419,000 to 447,500. The increase is driven in part by a rise in maintenance costs and employee benefits.

To help pay for the increase, the village will tap its water reserve fund for about $63,000, up from about $37,600 this year.

Sewer-fund expenses are expected to rise about 6.9 percent from about $566,000 this year to approximately $605,000 next year, and is driven in part by increases associated with treatment and disposal, like cost for electricity at the plant, sludge removal, and chlorine. Employee benefits are also increasing. 

About 90 percent of sewer-fund expenses will be covered by revenue, with the village tapping its sewer reserve for about $65,000, up from $27,000 this year.