Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that the 2023 Cairo town budget is expected to stay well below the state’s tax cap. Supervisor Jason Watts distributed copies of a proposed spending plan to town board members during a special meeting October 19. “In this proposed budget, I want to give the highway department exactly what he asked for ― so he can continue doing and start putting stuff back together with the highway department,” Watts said. “We kept the police department exactly what they asked for, and it was actually less. I gave the library exactly what they asked for because they took the major cut last year. We gave raises out in the amount of $2,000 to almost every single person,” he said. Watts said the tax rate will increase by a little over a quarter of percent, based on the proposed plan totaling just over $3.94 million in spending. The highway department's proposed budget will total $2.42 million. Watts noted there are also a number of potential projects pending: town hall needs a new roof, sidewalks are crumbling, and the renovation of a building the town recently purchased on Route 32 to create a new community/senior center..One of the four residents at the meeting questioned whether now was the right time to spend on projects when residents are faced with increasing utility costs and inflation. “You said you are able to give raises across the board. And you also said that things are going to be very bleak next year,” board member Tim Powers said to Watts, questioning $25,000 to reopen the recycling center and a $14,000 increase for the library. “If we are forecasting that next year is going to be worse than this year, is there any cutting that was done in this budget at all?” Powers asked. The tentative Cairo 2023 town budget is expected to be presented to residents at the November 7 town board meeting. Under state law, a public hearing must be held and the town board has until November 20 to adopt the budget. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.