It appears home sales are not slowing down in Chautauqua County.

During the county legislature meeting, lawmakers approved $860,447 be sent to various towns, villages and cities which was collected from the county’s 1.25% mortgage tax. The tax is collected on any new or refinanced mortgage.

During a committee meeting beforehand, Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon, R-Ellery, said the amount collected was up from its report from 2025.

“I compared this resolution from one year ago covering the same period. This resolution in total reflects an increase in the mortgage tax of 26%. The towns’ increase is 27%, the villages are increasing 5% and the cities are increasing 33%,” he said.

In terms of actual dollars, the 27 towns will divide $612,468. The 13 cities will divide $73,477. The two cities will divide $174,500.

The highest amount for a town was $88,065 for Chautauqua, followed by $75,903 for Ellery. The smallest amount for a town was for Charlotte with $5,656.

The highest amount for a village was for Fredonia with $25,901, followed by $10,325 for Lakewood. The lowest amount for a village was for Panama, receiving $616.

The city of Dunkirk will receive $48,564, while Jamestown will receive $125,936.

According to Todd Button, county first deputy director of finance, of the 1.25% mortgage tax collected, 0.5% goes to the county, 0.5% goes to local municipalities, and 0.25% goes to the State Of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA).

Twice a year mortgage tax revenue is sent to local municipalities.

After hearing the report, Legislator Dan Pavlock, R-Ellington replied, “It shows our housing market is still strong and people are still buying and selling houses.”