COLUMBUS – The Town of Columbus Board heard residents’ concerns for the 2014 budget during a public comment session held Monday before making last-minute changes to keep the town’s financial plan under the state mandated two percent tax cap.

Board members heard residents speak for nearly an hour before passing a resolution to approve a 2014 budget. Final budget modifications encompass a $3,000 cut to the park contractual line and a transfer of more than $6,000 from reserve accounts, leaving $18,000 in the town’s repair reserves.

According to town officials, adopted changes put the final budget below the two percent cap.

“Any tax increase at this time is not warranted,” Columbus resident Roger Adams said prior to the budget’s adoption. Adams pointed out that property owners in Columbus have already been effected by a recent school district tax increase and given the limited tax base in the township, even a slight increase can pile on the burden. “We can’t keep hitting them (the taxpayer) over the head,” he said.

Although the forthcoming budget includes big changes for Columbus – including $6,291 for tentative police protection from the Town of New Berlin and potential changes in the future to include part-time salary for a court clerk, pending approval from the New York State Unified Court System – it was the $50,000 contractual obligation to the Unadilla Valley Ambulance Corporation (UVAC) that had many residents voicing concern.