The clock is ticking for the town of Orchard Park to approve its budget for 2020. Among the things still being finalized: how much to raise taxes.

On Tuesday night, the town board held a public forum to continue talks about a proposed double digit tax increase.

“I came out because they were reporting a 12 percent tax increase and it turns out from the numbers they’re showing us, that was not really accurate,” said Michael Stebick, an Orchard Park resident, who was one of several people who packed a public forum on the Orchard Park budget to get answers as to why the town was proposing such an increase.

Town leaders said some of the reasons for the spike include wage increases for police officers and the development of a community activity center set to be completed in February.

“It’s being built, everyone in Orchard Park gets on board, wraps their arms around it, it’s going to be a reality and let’s enjoy it, it’s going to improve the quality of life for so many people here,” said Orchard Park Town Supervisor Patrick Keem.

At the meeting, the town board said there are ways to keep Orchard Park a desirable place to live while keeping the tax increase manageable for residents. The board suggested reducing overtime in the different town departments and the town working with new attorneys.

“We’ve worked hard since September 30 when we filed the tentative budget to reduce the tax burden in Orchard Park,” said Keem.

The best case scenario, according to the board, would lower the tax rate to 3.27 percent, but it’s more realistic to believe the rate will be higher.

“They should have never come up with the 12 percent numbers in the first place to get people upset,” Stebick said.

The board said they had a choice to leave the tax increase at 12 percent or find ways to make adjustments to the tentative budget. They want residents to know they’re trying to make the right decision.

“I think it’s great for people to come and to see where their money is going and have it all broken down and see where we spend our tax dollars and how we compare with other communities to see that our tax rate actually is low compared to our neighbors,” Keem said.

Another public forum is happening this Saturday, followed by a hearing on Wednesday, November 6, during which the board is expected to present the final budget and tax rate.

The budget must be approved by late November.