Ogdensburg to hold hearing on $3 million budget

A public hearing on Ogdensburg’s $3.06 million municipal budget will be held on Monday, May 10.

The 2021 budget reflects a 2.75 percent increase in the municipal tax, said chief financial officer Mike Marceau at the April 12 borough council meeting. For the average assessed home of $220,664, there will be an estimated increase of around $71. The tax levy is $2.3 million.

The council introduced an ordinance to exceed the municipal budget appropriations limit and to establish a cap bank. A public hearing on the ordinance and cap bank will be held on Monday, April 26.

Water rate increase discussed

Councilman Michael Nardini spoke of raising water rates next year, which has not been done “in decades.”

The increased revenue would be set aside to pay for repairs should the water infrastructure break, he said. Currently, he said, the borough is not prepared for any major break.

Nardini suggested a $5 per-house increase. The borough will be able to combine reserved funds with grants. He said certain grants, like those offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, look more like loans than grants.

To begin billing in January, an ordinance must introduced in July or August.

Nardini said the Department of Public Works and the Water Department said the current system is very outdated.

● Recreation priorities: After discussion, officials decided to prioritize projects in the following order for a local recreation improvement grant: basketball courts, walking path, or play ground equipment.

● Tracking employees’ time off: Mayor George Hutnick said the borough is looking to implement a system that is not paper-based for tracking employees’ vacations and other time of.