Dear neighbors,

I’m genuinely excited about the possibility of a new public safety complex here in Saranac Lake. Projects like this touch all of us, and the conversations — whether on Facebook or in the pages of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise — help us sort out what’s real, what’s rumor and what’s worth a closer look.

If you’ll allow me, I’d like to share my perspective on why an approximately $35 million public safety project is not only needed, but might be more affordable with other sources of funding. Understanding how these large capital projects are actually funded is outside my wheelhouse, but I do know this: taxpayers cannot be left holding the whole bill.

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1. Capital project is an investment, not a permanent tax spike

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The idea that a $35 million project instantly translates to a 75% tax hike is, quite frankly, a scenario built on a municipal finance fantasy. That number only appears when we assume every worst-case variable: no grants, no federal support, borrowing the entire amount and paying it back quickly.

That scenario is the municipal equivalent of “the asteroid destroys the dinosaurs.” It’s not how real, budgeting happens, though.

I learned what happens is:

¯ The village issues a 20 to 30 year municipal bond. This is a loan spread over a generation.

¯ Only the annual debt service (the yearly payment on the loan) affects our taxes.

¯ Crucially, the principal (the total cost) is aggressively reduced by grants, federal programs, and shared-service partnerships LONG BEFORE before the bond is issued.

The annual tax adjustment is for the duration of the bond. When the building is paid off, that increase goes away. Taxpayers are not stuck with a permanent 75% rise. We are instead left with a safer community and a modern, paid-for asset.

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2. We must aggressively hunt for external funding

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Here’s where the project can transform from daunting to decidedly doable. Our mission must be to secure the maximum amount of non-local funding possible. Rural communities across New York regularly piece together funding from multiple sources. Saranac Lake must too.

This is our funding strategy — the “deal behind the deal”:

¯ USDA Rural Development: This is our biggest target. We would apply for the Essential Community Facilities loan and grant package. Optimistically, this represents a potential $8-12 million reduction in the principal cost, depending on the final scope and our community’s eligibility.

¯ FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG): A strong applicant could secure $1-3 million for fire/EMS infrastructure components.

¯ DOJ COPS Office (Community Oriented Policing Services): We would seek $500,000-$1 million for law-enforcement-related facility components and technology.

¯ New York State Partnerships: State programs focused on Shared Services or Municipal Consolidation could potentially contribute $1-3 million, especially if we pursue an agreement with Franklin County for regional use of the facility.

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Best-case scenario funding impact

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Since we must aggressively pursue and successfully secure the high end of these grants and partnerships, the local share of a $35 million project could drop to less than $15 million.

When that reduced cost is spread over a 25-year bond, the resulting tax impact for the average Saranac Lake property owner tends to fall in the single digits — maybe between 3% and 9%. This is a manageable investment for decades of public safety.

People keep saying “if the grants pay for the fancy stuff, let’s just take the free money and build cheap.”

The reality is the exact opposite: the grants will not pay one dime unless we build to 2025 — approaching 2026 codes and current apparatus sizes.

USDA, FEMA and the state literally will not write the check for a building that can’t fit today’s fire trucks, has no decontamination showers, no separate locker rooms, no evidence room that meets FBI standards and no sprinkler system.

Those aren’t paying for gold toilets or marble floors–they’re paying for the concrete, steel and systems we are legally required to have anyway.

If we try to cheap-out and build a 1970s-spec building, every single one of those grant dollars vanishes and the entire $35 million lands back on local taxpayers.

So the choice isn’t “basic building versus Taj Mahal.” In one way of looking at it, the choice is “$15-18 million local share with grants or $35 million local share with no grants.”

And for those who know me: Yes, all this aligns with my lifelong resistance to paying full price for anything. Thrift stores, yard sales — everyone knows I’m looking for the deal behind the deal. A public safety complex is no different. We shouldn’t pay full retail if we can help it.

This is exactly the right moment to plan big, think ahead and secure the outside funding that makes the impossible possible.

Your neighbor,

Mark

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Mark Keating is a resident of Saranac Lake.