When the Town Board met on Tuesday evening (September 10), they were expected to introduce a local law to override the tax cap levy, and set a public hearing (most likely on October 15) for the community to comment on the proposed law.

It’s a move many Town and Village Boards make most every year as they begin their budgeting process, allowing them, if needed, to adopt a tax rate that is over the New York State mandated cap.

“We do this every year as a precaution,” Supervisor Josh Wojehowski said Monday. He added that while it is too soon to say if they will need to override it this year, “if we do it will be because of contractual obligations.”

The board is currently negotiating new contracts with its CSEA and PBA units, with both sets of workers having contracts which expire at the end of the year. “We don’t know where we are going to land there yet,” he said, adding that he’d love to have both new contracts done by November 15, when the 2025 budget must be adopted.

Also, negotiations have just begun regarding the New Windsor EMS service in both the town and village. Wojehowski said he thinks the municipalities “have a good handle” on where this contract will settle.

The supervisor is still putting together the tentative budget with bookkeeper Pam Wood. He said at this week’s meeting he was also going to ask the board to schedule three budget workshop meetings in October. “We may only need one, but I’d like to have three on the books,” he said, “in case we need them.”

He said he was looking at the first three Thursdays in October for those. While the public can attend, comments from the public are usually reserved for the state-required budget hearing on the budget, to be held before the November 15 adoption of the spending plan.