It is municipal budget time again, and the Cazenovia town board last week approved its tentative 2016 budget to make it the preliminary budget.
The $3.1 million budget includes $1.5 million to be raised by taxes, which is similar to last year’s budget. The preliminary budget is now available for public viewing at the town office and on the town’s website at townofcazenovia.org.
The town board’s next budget work session is scheduled for Oct. 19 in the town office and is open to the public, said Supervisor Bill Zupan during the board’s Oct. 5 regular monthly meeting. The board also scheduled a public hearing on the budget for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at the town office.
Also at the meeting, the future of the Gothic Cottage as the town office was discussed and was stated to become more of a priority for the board in 2016.
Councilor Tom Driscoll reported on his meetings with the Cazenovia Central School District and its discussions on potentially consolidating space within the district’s three school buildings and finding other uses for the unused portions. Driscoll said only 65 percent of the district’s three buildings is currently being utilized and, while no decisions have been made by the district, there is the possibility of rental space being made available by the district.
“Clearly, for our purposes, the potential exists for consideration as an option for consideration as a town hall,” Driscoll said. While there are numerous issues that would go along with the school district renting out unused space — such as security and parking — and there is “a lot more to consider” by the district, Driscoll said the board “should be open-minded to look at all possibilities” concerning the future home of the town hall.
Zupan said he was going to “start pushing the town hall next year and get the ad hoc committee together and look at all our options.”
The town board has been looking actively into renovating the historic Gothic Cottage and whether or not to keep the town hall there or move it to another location since 2013, and in recent months has put out a request for proposals for immediate stabilization and repair work to the Gothic Cottage — not a full renovation of the building.
Also at the board’s Oct.5 meeting, the board:
•Authorized the town supervisor to execute a $6,219 agreement for architectural services for reconstruction work on the New Woodstock trooper barracks.
•Approved the seasonal closure — meaning the road is not plowed in the winter — of Corkinsville Road from the Lordon residence to the Cazenovia town line.
•Authorized the appointment of Sarah Dennis as a part-time records management clerk to help digitize town records. Dennis, who is also the assistant to the town supervisor, will sort through 63 boxes of town records and prepare them for digitization, said Supervisor Bill Zupan.
