Cheektowaga property owners likely will see a bump in their tax bills next year, but the question is: How much?
Supervisor Brian Nowak’s proposed 2026 budget calls for increasing the tax levy – the total amount the town collects in property taxes – by nearly $5.9 million. That is a 7.59% increase compared to 2025, which exceeds the town’s tax cap.
The average Cheektowaga homeowner with a property assessed at $155,400 would pay an estimated $1,984 in town taxes in 2026, up $149 from 2025 under the proposed budget. That is an 8.12% increase from last year.
Property owners in other villages within the town will see their tax bills increase by about 4% (Depew) and 5.6% (Sloan and Williamsville). Village residents do not pay taxes for town services, such as highway, garbage and sewer.
Nowak described his proposed budget as “no frills.” The Democratic supervisor said he aimed to balance affordability with maintaining town services as the town’s labor costs continue to grow.
He warned the Cheektowaga Town Board and residents earlier this year that a sizable tax hike was likely when he introduced a resolution to exceed the tax cap for 2026. But Nowak’s proposed budget is not likely to stand as is, since the law to override the tax cap was voted down by the board’s Republican majority. Five out of the seven board members must approve raising taxes above the cap.
“This particular budget that I drafted will not become the final budget,” Nowak said. “I know it’s going to be amended in some manner or form. Now, it’s going to be a question of what the other board members want to do to make adjustments to this budget.”
Nowak’s proposed $116 million budget would raise town spending by nearly $6 million, or 5.45%, over the 2025 budget, fueled largely by labor costs.
“I just find it difficult in this environment with what the financial pressures are that we’re not going to have to seriously consider exceeding the tax cap,” Nowak said.
Nowak said 65% to 70% of the town’s budget is labor costs, including wages, health care and retirement contributions. Three of the town’s five unions received raises of 3.25% this year. The town also has to plan for the state minimum wage to increase next year. On Jan. 1, minimum wage will jump 50 cents, to $16 an hour.
All those factors account for more than $4 million in new costs to the town, Nowak said.
The Town Board will meet at 9 a.m. Oct. 9 and 10 to publicly discuss the budget. During that time, members of the Town Board can propose amendments to the budget. Those changes must be voted on by the board.
In January, Republicans on the board passed a resolution calling for the town to reduce expenditures by 1% for the 2026 budget. That is not reflected in Nowak’s budget.
“I’m open to discussions with any board member that has a constructive proposal on how to balance affordability with providing our services,” Nowak said.
Of the total $116 million town budget, $79 million will come from taxes. The rest will come from the town’s fund balances and other revenues.
If passed, the 3% hotel occupancy tax, or bed tax, would be charged to people who stay at one of the town’s 17 hotels.
Nowak’s proposed budget does not account for future revenue from a proposed bed tax, or a tax on hotel room rentals. The town got approval from the State Legislature in June to levy the new tax, but Gov. Kathy Hochul has yet to sign the legislation, Nowak said. If Hochul does sign off on the bill, the Cheektowaga Town Board will then have to pass a local law to establish the tax. The 3% hotel occupancy tax would be charged to people who stay at one of the town’s 17 hotels.
Nowak’s budget also calls for replenishing the town’s reserve funds to maintain a healthy balance.
The town’s fund balance policy states that each fund should have no less than 15% of annual appropriations for the fiscal year. Nowak used a significant portion of the town’s fund balances on last year’s budget, and there’s been a push from Republican board members to pay for town infrastructure projects with cash, rather than borrowing money and taking on debt.
Nowak said he wants to keep those accounts properly funded so the town has money for unexpected expenses, such as a big snowstorm or infrastructure repairs.
Salaries for elected officials are expected to remain the same.
Despite the increased fixed costs the town must pay for, such as wages, retirement and health care, there is room for board members to make cuts to avoid a large tax increase. The board could decide to reduce the number of part-time workers, cut services or use more reserve funds to balance the budget, Nowak said.
“In this budget, I prioritized maintaining our services,” Nowak said. “In discussions I’ve had with the general public, in town hall meetings, I haven’t heard much support for cutting services. So, the goal is to maintain our existing services. There are people that have opinions on services that we can scale back or do without, but by and large, the Town of Cheektowaga is a service provider, and people like our services.”
There will be a public hearing sometime in October, where residents can provide the board with feedback on the budget, Nowak said.
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