Glenville residents will have a chance to discuss preliminary budget numbers with town officials at a public hearing slated for Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Preliminary tax rates were discussed at the Wednesday, Oct. 15, Town Council meeting, with early estimates showing an increase of 9.66 percent for Glenville residents and 8.84 percent for village residents.
Earlier this month Glenville Supervisor Frank Quinn told department heads that positions would be eliminated if money could not be saved elsewhere. The budget that was presented to the board two weeks ago suggested the possibility of eliminating nine police and highway department jobs.
If you start talking about eliminating jobs, council members and supervisors crunch numbers elsewhere, said Quinn.
Board members Chris Koetzle and Mark Quinn said eliminating positions to reduce costs seemed like a quick fix. Quinn said he was uncomfortable with eliminating public service jobs.
Supervisor Quinn defended the possible cuts to the board saying that, in light of the troubled economy, taxpayers are looking at the how the budget will affect them now more than ever.
The board eventually voted to restore the positions under the $17.9 million budget that will be presented to taxpayers at the public hearing. The bulk of the increase from last year’s $17.55 million budget will cover an increase in the cost of benefits for town employees.
Officials said the uncertain future of Fire District No. 4 was taken into account in the preliminary budget. The contract for District 4 has expired, and the town is in negotiations with several neighboring municipalities, including Scotia, for continuation of services to the area. The estimated cost is at about $345,000.
If the budget is approved, a village home assessed at $124,000 could see a tax increase of $8, while a town resident with a home assessed at $173,000 would see an increase of $49.75.
In other news, the Glenville and Village of Scotia officials are looking at purchasing property off Swaggertown Road to house a joint police station. Scotia Mayor Kris Kastberg said the two municipalities are applying for a state grant that will allow for a study on the effects of a shared police station.
`Right now our police building is shared with our town court and other government offices. We have a definite interest in freeing up space,` said Kastberg.
Looking into a combined police headquarters is just the latest step being taken by Scotia and Glenville in an effort to work together on sharing services with each other and the county. Both municipalities are looking for ways to save energy and costs for taxpayers.
The public hearing on the proposed budget will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at Town Hall. The Town Council is scheduled to vote on the final budget Nov. 19. “
