Dear Village Resident-
In these difficult times the administration and staff of the Village of Scotia are trying hard to keep as many services coming to you as possible. Your well being as well as our own is of utmost importance. Even in a pandemic we all need water to come out of the taps, waste to go down the drain, garbage to be picked up, emergency medical and fire services to keep running and police to protect us. The Village Board and I, along with the department heads, have been working hard on the budget for the last several months. All of us are reluctant to raise taxes. We have debated for many hours trying to cut items from the budget without hurting programs and services which our residents need and expect. This year along with the cost of everything going up, our pension costs from the State went up by $79,000 and health care costs are also going up. Additionally the two firefighter/paramedics we hired under a grant two years ago now cost an additional $103,000 and we need their services more than ever. So we have a choice: Cut services or increase taxes. We have done both and have a budget which we feel is fair and reasonable.
Now is the time to present this budget to the residents. The Village Budget process is directed by the State and must continue as scheduled unless the Governor of New York extends the deadline, which he has not. We have been asked to delay the process because of the pandemic but this would get us in trouble with the State. Instead we have done our best under difficult circumstances to make it work for everybody. We will be holding the meeting on-line (instructions below) with the ability (we hope) for everyone to participate. If you feel you need to come to Village Hall, we have adapted our meeting room to accommodate social distancing. (It is still not wheelchair accessible but we are working on that too.) This is not a question and answer session, just a public hearing. We reserve the right to limit the length of individual presentations so we have some hope of getting home before bedtime. If you can’t make it or miss something, the meeting will be videotaped and posted to our website on Thursday and a transcription will also be provided.
Our Village offices and facilities are closed to the public but our employees are still working. If you have any questions any of us can be reached at the posted phone numbers or e-mail addresses.
Stay well and stay home,
Tom Gifford, Mayor
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Wednesday, April 8, 2020 7:00 PM
Register in advance for this meeting: