Comments on village budget

I believe this budget is a move in the right directions.  I also think there continues to be room for improvement. 

I am pleased to report that for the first time in a decade this budget holds the line on general fund spending.  In fact, the general fund expenditure went down a bit, 0.2%.  I am also pleased to see the property tax rate decreasing about 4.5%.  These are both good results. The water fund is increasing by 4%. The sewer fund is flat.

I proposed a number of cost-saving ideas that were not adopted by the board. I was unsuccessful at getting the needed 3 votes out of 5 trustees. This was a source of frustration for me, but I recognize this is the democratic process, and there will be other days with other votes.

I want to thank the staff and department heads for working hard to bring in a conservative budget in a difficult economic climate. 

In my role as village trustee I will continue to make fiscal restraint one of my fundamental goals.  For me, this is not just about "money".  Of course none of us likes to pay taxes.  But we can accept our taxes if we feel they are fair and provide good value.  For the sake of Potsdam's future, I want families and businesses to choose to come to live and work here because they can afford the taxes and feel they are getting good value on their dollar.

As always, your comments are most welcome.

Steve Yurgartis

4/26/10