By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM – The Village of Potsdam is asking the town government for help to pay for a fire department driver.

“One of their drivers is retiring and, to hire the next one, they want some help from the town,” said Town Supervisor Rollin Beattie.

The village is in difficult financial straits and has been designated by the state comptroller as the most fiscally stressed municipality in the state.

But the town might not be able to help.

“Right now we have no idea where we would get the money from for that in our own budget,” said Supervisor Beattie.

No specific figures were discussed at last night’s Town Council meeting, which was attended by Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor Eleanor Hopke and Trustee Nick Sheehan, who made their request.

“We’ll address that when it comes time to make our budget,” Beattie said, but he cautioned that that might not be in time for the village budget deadline.

The village fiscal year runs from June 1 to May 31, so their next budget must be ready next month.

“Between now and then, I don’t know if we can make a decision on that,” Beattie said.

The town’s fiscal year runs with the calendar year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, so their budget won’t be prepared until November, probably too late for them to help the village this spring, Beattie said.

The town does support the Potsdam Volunteer Fire Department already, and also works with and helps the departments in Norwood, West Potsdam, and Hannawa Falls. Those communities are at least in part in the Town of Potsdam.