Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Board of Supervisors December 8, approved the county's 2022 budget. The $170.5 million spending plan includes a 2 percent decrease in the tax levy, county Controller and Auditor Ronald Caponera said. “Combined with our taxable property values going up to $389 million, your tax rate will go down 6 percent,” Caponera said. “What does that mean? The average tax rate of $5.35 will be down from $5.69, or a 35-cents per-$1,000 savings.” Taxes will diminish by approximately $92 on an average home in the county, valued at $270,389, Caponera said. “There are no cuts in services or staff in this budget as in years before,” Caponera said. “And all the raises and everything according to the unions and non-unions is in this budget.” County elected officials will see a $2,000 increase in salary in 2022. Supervisors will now be paid $16,000, the majority and minority leaders $19,000, and the chairman of the board of supervisors will now be paid $32,000. “And we had the ability to do this,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell said. “I mean all those years from 2010, we hadn’t really had that ability. ... I will say that I heard from both sides of the aisle and I didn’t hear anything negative from either side.” Minority Leader and New Lebanon Town Supervisor Tistrya Houghtling praised the board and unions for creating a workable budget in tough times. The full board unanimously approved the 2022 spending plan during a virtual meeting. Read more at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.