Supervisor Joe Croce said he recently sent out an email to all department heads asking them to submit their budget requests for 2021 by September 25.

“That leads to the budget officer [Croce] reviewing the requests and composing the tentative town budget that I have to have to the Town Clerk by September 30,” he said.

The Town Clerk has to present the tentative budget to the Town Board no later than October 5. Croce noted that the Town Board’s first regular meeting next month is October 7.

“I’m 99 percent sure that I will have it to the Town Clerk and I will ask her to email the tentative budget to all the Town Board members and to put a printed copy in your mailboxes on Monday, October 5,” he said. “Anytime after the 5th you can check your mailboxes and start looking at the budget requests.”

Croce said from October 5 to October 30 the board will schedule their budget meetings with the department heads. He requested board members to let him know the days and times when they are available for budget meetings.

“It’s kind of tough because we have to take into consideration when the department heads can be here, but we need to have some parameters to work around,” he said.

Croce said this leads to the Preliminary Budget that gets filed with the Town Clerk no later than October 30 and their first Town Board meeting the following month is November 4. The town has to hold a Public Hearing on the Preliminary Budget which by law this has to happen the Thursday after election day, which is November 5. Croce noted that this can be adjourned but the Public Hearing has to be scheduled no later than November 15.

Croce favors November 4 for the public hearing, the night of the Town Board’s regular meeting. He said after closing the public hearing the board can vote to make the preliminary budget the final town budget for 2021.

“We have to do this; it’s our job and I’m trying to make it so that we have a pretty long period of time to go over and meet with the department heads and put the numbers together that we think we have to have in our budget,” he said. “I know we all have our viewpoints and I think everybody on this board should be present and their voice should be heard.”

Supervisor Croce took a moment to acknowledge the recent passing of Robert Werlau, 1933-2020. He was a Planning Board and Zoning Board member, a Commander of the Modena Fire Department, worked to preserve the Modena Rural Cemetery and in 2005 was named the Plattekill Citizen of the Year. Croce said he would be missed by the community.