GUILDERLAND — With no public comment Tuesday night, the Guilderland Town Board approved an $18 million budget for next year. This includes $3.7 million in highway expenses.

Although the town tax rate will be lower next year, some residents will be paying more. In 2005, the tax rate was 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. In 2006, it will be 24 cents per $1,000.

However, because of town-wide reevaluation this year, it is difficult to calculate the impact, Supervisor Kenneth Runion said earlier.

The town does reassessment every few years because, without it, as newcomers move to a town, they pay taxes based on the price they paid for their property while parcels that haven’t sold recently usually remain at a lower rate, skewing the tax rolls.

Runion estimated that, in 2006, half of taxpayers will have their taxes stay the same or decrease and half will see their taxes increase slightly.

For the average house this year, highway taxes will increase by less than 2 percent, Runion said. This is mostly due to the increasing cost of fuel, he said.

Sewer taxes, for those with town sewer service, will increase about 4 percent and water taxes will increase less than 1 percent. The sewer increase is due to the upgrade of the Nott Road sewage-treatment plant, Runion said.

Other business In other business, the board:

— Authorized the installation of a street light on Shave Court; and

— Accepted the dedication of water and sewer lines and the release of betterment funds for the Aliberti subdivision.