Town needs a do-over on tax levy vote

Town of Port Washington electors last week approved a tax levy of $474,838 to support its 2026 budget of $896,877 — but the town is calling for a do-over.

The Town Board was scheduled to hold a special meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 19, to schedule a new meeting of the electors at 8 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, to reconsider the levy.

The original levy approved needs to be changed due to an error regarding the amount of land annexed to the City of Port for a data center campus, Clerk Heather Krueger said.

Only seven town residents — including the board and other officials — were on hand for the Nov. 12 budget hearing and meeting of the electors, and no comments were made on the proposed 2026 budget, which is expected to be approved by the Town Board in December.

The town’s general fund balance is projected to be $348,000 at the end of 2025. In October, officials decided informally to reserve $90,000 for repairs to Woodland Road and to put some money aside to repair the Lake Drive storm culvert, a project expected to cost $200,000.

Officials noted that the town has lost about 1,900 acres this year, land annexed to the City of Port for a proposed data center. The town had received about $16,000 annually in taxes from that land, an amount offset by a $150,000 payment from the city. The town will receive that amount annually for five years.

Town officials agreed to set that money aside in a segregated account.