Special meeting addresses residents’ concerns
The Garden City Board of Trustees had previously voted to give themselves the ability to override the tax cap if necessary. Now it’s crunch time, as the board works toward a final budget to present to the public.
Not surprisingly, residents are concerned about service cuts, in the areas of street cleaning and waste removal, for example. Village Mayor John Watras said the board was planning to head into executive session Wednesday night, with hopes of having the final numbers available to the public by April 18.
The mayor added the board planned to discuss several ‘delicate items’ in the executive session.
The board said that by the 18th, they hope to be able to present a line item budget with numbers for the public to review. Last year, the trustees elected not to exceed the cap, and hope the same situation will occur this year. However, rising pension costs are causing the number crunchers to work overtime, as the goal is to keep vital village services in tact, at a minimal cost increase to the residents that need them.
