Chester works on whittling down preliminary budget
Chester. A public hearing on the preliminary budget will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, at town hall
Chester /
| 30 Oct 2019 | 03:25
From left: Orlando Perez, Cindy Smith, Linda Zappala, Robert Valentine, Ryan Wensley, and Vincent Finizia. (
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The Town of Chester's preliminary budget is over the tax cap, but Supervisor Robert Valentine hopes that, with another week's work on it, the final budget will come in below the cap.
The draft budget calls for a tax levy that exceeds the cap by about $100,000. The board authorized going over the tax cap, which Valentine says they do every year, even intending that they will not need to do it.
"We're working on finding savings and cuts," Valentine said at the board's Oct. 23 meeting.
The public hearing on the preliminary budget will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, at town hall. Residents can find a copy of the preliminary budget on the town's website (chester-ny.gov).
In other town news:
Tax certiorari: A property tax case is being negotiated through assessor's office, in which the assessment of a property in town is being reduced from $137,000 to $110.580. Supervisor Valentine said the school district will have to refund the property owner about $1,000.
Sewer agreement renewed: The Moodna Basin Sewer Commission intermunicipial agreement has been renewed for another five years, said town attorney Scott Bonacic. The commission governs sewer usage, operation, and maintenance for the town and village of Chester and parts of Monroe, with each entity having two seats on the board. Drawn up in 1982, the agreement lays out how the Moodna system is to be run.The Town of Chester is the titling agency for commission vehicles.
New position created: The board created a new civil service position, account clerk of the recreation department. Kristin Palmer will be formally appointed to the position in a future meeting.