WURTSBORO – The Village of Wurtsboro Board of Trustees this past Monday night unveiled the new budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, which outlines the details of village revenue and expenditure for the next year. The good news for Wurtsboro residents is that there will be no increase in village taxes. The trustees felt that, given the state of the economy, a tax hike simply wasn't going to be viable option.

"Actually, if we were smart, we'd raise them a little bit," said Village Trustee Barbara Semonite. "That means the following years there's likely to be a bigger [increase]. But we recognize the times and how hard things are for people right now."

There were no significant departures from last year's budget, according to Semonite. There were, however, a few minor adjustments. The village will spend about $10,000 less on refuse collection, thanks to an attractive bid by Thompson Sanitation. There was also a decrease of approximately $10,000 in the area of drainage and flood control — lowered from $46,800 this year to $35,000 next. However, this year's number could increase significantly, given the fact that there could be a major reconfiguration of the storm water system on the north side of town, particularly in the area of Woodland Drive, a street that has seen significant flooding in recent years.

Other minor points of the budget include a slight decrease in accounting expenses, as well as an overall decrease in transportation expenses of approximately $10,000. Salaries for the mayor, trustees, and the village clerks will stay the same for the upcoming year.

The village trustees will officially adopt the new budget in a special board meeting on April 22 at 2:15 p.m.

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