Bethlehem’s 2010 Budget Workshops have begun this week and will continue throughout the rest of August and into September.
All meetings are held at Town Hall, 445 Delaware Ave., Delmar, and run from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. except for tonight’s (Aug. 19) meeting, which will begin at 6:30. Most of the meetings will be held in room 101 across from the town’s auditorium with the exception of the last meeting, which will be held inside of the auditorium.
Last night the Town Board listened to department heads from the receiver of taxes; MIS/GIS; assessor; town court; and the highway department. Supervisor Jack Cunningham said there were no major changes in the highway budget and that all departments are seeing small decreases in their individual budgets.
Tonight’s meeting will focus on the police department; town clerk’s office; senior services; as well as the comptroller’s office and shared services.
The rest of the schedule goes as follows:
Monday, Aug. 24: public works and economic development and planning.
Tuesday, Aug. 25: canceled due to Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, speaking at the Elm Avenue Park in Bethlehem at 5:30 p.m.
` Monday, Sept. 21: comptroller review of preliminary tax rates and overall budges as well as the comptroller presentations on salary; heath insurance; fringe benefits; revenue assumptions.
A tentative 2010 town budget will be presented at the Wednesday Sept. 23 Town Board meeting and a public hearing on the budget will be held on Oct. 28 before the board votes on the adoption of the budget on Nov. 10.
The budget workshops are open to the public and are used to help discuss and shape the town’s budget before it is put together in a preliminary form.
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