The Nelson Town Board is moving forward with its work on the town’s 2015 finances, and last week adopted the tentative budget and approved a local law to override the state tax levy cap.

The tentative budget is only the first stage in the budgeting process, so the current working numbers and potential tax rate for 2015 have not been released to the public.

Supervisor Roger Bradstreet said the town board would approve the preliminary budget by about Oct. 23 — on which night the board has scheduled a budget work session — and once that is done, the budget will be available for public viewing.

During a brief discussion of the budget process at the board’s Oct. 9 regular monthly meeting, Bradstreet said the equipment purchasing portion of the budget will “change substantially” during the next few weeks as the board works out the details of its decision to start upgrading and replacing its fleet of highway department trucks.

That decision, which was the result of months of discussions by the board and the highway superintendent, occurred because the town’s fleet is aging out and in constant need of maintenance, Bradstreet and Highway Superintendent jack Sevier have both said on several occasions. The newest of the town’s five current highway trucks is a 2007, while the oldest was a 1991, although that truck was recently sold by the town, Bradstreet said.

As part of the Oct. 9 meeting, the board unanimously agreed to adopt a resolution to bond for $40,000 for a new 2015 Ford 550 landscaper truck to replace that 1991 truck.

More truck purchases will be coming in the future as the board works to replace the fleet — which all board members agreed was a necessity that could no longer be postponed.

“Taxes will go up [this year] because trucks cost about $200,000, and we’ve got four [to replace],” Bradstreet said. “This is symptomatic of all towns right now.”

The board also held a public hearing on a proposed local law to allow the town board to override the state tax levy cap. Such an override is a common practice among state municipalities and is recommended by the state, the idea being that it is better to have an override authorization in place and not use it, than need to override and not have authorized the action.

The tax cap law requires that local governments raise taxes no more than 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. Municipalities may, however, raise or lower taxes according to their particular needs if approved by 60 percent of the town board.

“We never intend to exceed the tax cap or spend a lot of money, but just to do a responsible job,” Bradstreet said. “But if you exceed the cap you are penalized, so we have to legally do this to go over. It is very difficult to stay within this tax cap.”

No members of the public spoke during the public hearing on the tax cap override law. The board then closed the public hearing and voted unanimously to approve the law.

Also at the meeting, the board:

—Approved a change in the town’s electricity supplier to Integris, effective Oct. 15. Bradstreet said this change should save the town “a couple thousand dollars a year.”

—Approved the county snow and ice removal agreement, which reimburses the town $17.53 per lane mile for plowing county roads. This is an increase from the 2013 reimbursement rate of $16.84, which will be an increase of more than $2,000 to the town, said Sevier.

—Designated parts of seven town roads as “limited use roads” for the winter season. The roads, which are the same as were designated in 2013, include parts of Sunrise Boulevard, Brown Road, Corkinsville Road, Davisville Road, Holmes Road, North Lake Road and Stoney Pond Road.

—Approved the agreement with the town of Georgetown for the use of its ambulance service.

—Approved the fire district agreement with the village of Cazenovia for fire protection services in Nelson for the 2015 year at a cost of $71,193, which is a 2 percent increase over the 2014 cost.

Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].