The mayor’s tentative East Aurora budget with a potential tax increase of 1 percent was delivered to the Village Board at its meeting Monday.
The spending proposal has money to cover increased health care costs, a part time clerk and two new police cars. The board will review the budget in detail during a consecutive series of three Saturday budget workshops from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. that begin this weekend with a presentation from the police department.
“We’ll find cuts,” said Trustee Patrick Shea.
The mayor’s $7.735 million budget is $213,463 more, or 2.84 percent higher, than last year’s $7.521 million plan. After a public hearing April 7, a final budget is scheduled to be adopted April 21.
Even though the spending plan was finished in time for the meeting, it was not discussed; the board segued into executive session about potential litigation and contract negotiations with the Civil Service Employees Association.
In other business, the board held a work session before the evening’s 7 p.m. meeting to discuss a revised proposal to reconfigure parking and demolish a garage at Wood Funeral home at 784 Main Street, one of seven owned by John Dengler.
Accommodations were discussed to allay concerns of a couple whose house faces the garage. Mike and Kathy O’Connor, who live on East Fillmore Avenue, did not want lose the building because it serves as a buffer of noise and light from the parking lot.
Bill Dengler, an architect consulting for his brother, said he would create alternatives and adjust the plan to screen the view of parked cars with trees, plantings and a fence on a berm.
“It’s fair to everybody,” he said.
The O’Connors said they were pleased by his suggestions. “We were hoping for this,” said Kathy O’Connor.
Dengler, who will return to the board with a revised plan, also had a response to the board’s concerns about the loss of an estimated $92,000 value on the tax rolls, once the garage with its apartment is torn down.
“Don’t change the assessment,” he said in the hallway after the meeting. “It’s still a value to us.”
email: mkearns@buffnews.com
The spending proposal has money to cover increased health care costs, a part time clerk and two new police cars. The board will review the budget in detail during a consecutive series of three Saturday budget workshops from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. that begin this weekend with a presentation from the police department.
“We’ll find cuts,” said Trustee Patrick Shea.
The mayor’s $7.735 million budget is $213,463 more, or 2.84 percent higher, than last year’s $7.521 million plan. After a public hearing April 7, a final budget is scheduled to be adopted April 21.
Even though the spending plan was finished in time for the meeting, it was not discussed; the board segued into executive session about potential litigation and contract negotiations with the Civil Service Employees Association.
In other business, the board held a work session before the evening’s 7 p.m. meeting to discuss a revised proposal to reconfigure parking and demolish a garage at Wood Funeral home at 784 Main Street, one of seven owned by John Dengler.
Accommodations were discussed to allay concerns of a couple whose house faces the garage. Mike and Kathy O’Connor, who live on East Fillmore Avenue, did not want lose the building because it serves as a buffer of noise and light from the parking lot.
Bill Dengler, an architect consulting for his brother, said he would create alternatives and adjust the plan to screen the view of parked cars with trees, plantings and a fence on a berm.
“It’s fair to everybody,” he said.
The O’Connors said they were pleased by his suggestions. “We were hoping for this,” said Kathy O’Connor.
Dengler, who will return to the board with a revised plan, also had a response to the board’s concerns about the loss of an estimated $92,000 value on the tax rolls, once the garage with its apartment is torn down.
“Don’t change the assessment,” he said in the hallway after the meeting. “It’s still a value to us.”
email: mkearns@buffnews.com