2026 Porter budget remains in discussion

Town approves 2% tax cap resolution

Staff Reports

At its Tuesday evening session, the Porter Town Board approved a measure to pursue grant funding for a waterline improvement project, and approved a moratorium on cannabis facilities/entities operating within the town.

The town’s 2026 budget remains in discussion, however, with no numbers released at the session. Instead, the board approved the adoption of Local Law No. 2 of 2025. The measure, which passed unanimously, now permits the town to override the 2% tax levy limit established by General Municipal Law Section 3-C.

In his remarks, Town Supervisor John “Duffy” Johnston said, “Everything is going up. The state sets the 2% and we’ve kept the taxes down for years.”

“We haven’t (finalized) the budget yet,” he continued, adding the board’s approval to override allows the town to pursue a property tax increase if it’s ultimately needed.

“Your budget is what your budget is,” said Town Attorney Mike Dowd, in response to a question by a resident on whether the increase was related to the town’s current reassessment project with the Town of Lewiston. “Whether you’re assessed with a $100,000 on your house or $150,000 on your house, the town still needs a million dollars to operate, and they collect from these.”

•The Town Board also approved Local Law No. 1, which calls for a townwide temporary moratorium on the approval and operations of new cannabis/facilities/entities. Porter previously signed on as a municipality participating with the state Office of Cannabis Management.

The measure approved Tuesday provides for a moratorium of 180 days on all cannabis-related activities. Its purpose is to enable the Town of Porter to adopt appropriate amendments to its zoning law to regulate state-licensed cannabis facilities/operations.

•Also approved were project agreements with the Wendel Engineering Group covering the Swain Road manhole replacements, and a second for the town’s lead service lines inventory to conform with state Department of Health and U.S. EPA guidelines. Both projects are now underway.

In other news, the board approved a resolution to place liens on unpaid water, sewer and town charges, and for the town to notify the Niagara County Property Tax Services Department of all property tax liens.