Seward Announces Coxsackie/athens Budget Awards

At the village hall in Coxsackie, Senator James L. Seward today announced that the 2008-2009 state budget includes, at his request, several senate initiatives for local governments and property taxpayers in Coxsackie and Athens. Seward was joined by local officials from the town, village, library and school district.

"It’s about property tax relief -- senate funding that helps reduce pressure on local finances and property taxes," Senator Seward said. "It also means helping locally identified community projects that might not be possible without senate assistance."

Seward announced the following initiatives:

Village of Coxsackie -- $20,000 for the construction of a children’s playground at Riverside Park in the village;

Town of Coxsackie -- $25,000 for town hall renovations to improve energy efficiency and improve security for staff;

D.R. Evarts Library/Athens -- $5,000 to improve grading and drainage around building to avert water damage and to repair areas that suffered water damage;

Coxsackie-Athens Central School District -- $30,000 for incorporating ‘smart technologies’ in the classroom. The money will purchase interactive ‘smart boards’, or whiteboards, that students use with computers for multi-media presentations and that provide additional visual learning opportunities.

Seward said that property tax relief was a key theme of the state budget, which provided $5 billion in property tax relief. The budget offers $17,153 in unrestricted aid for the Town of Coxsackie (+5%); $32,193 for the Village of Coxsackie (+5%); $89,514 in highway aid for the town (+23%); $55,009 in highway aid for the village( +21%); and an additional $450,000 in aid for the Coxsackie-Athens School District (+6%).

"The funding will help offset local costs and deliver results for the people of Coxsackie and Athens," Seward concluded.