BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The Potsdam village board of trustees is expected to approve its preliminary budget at its meeting Monday, April 28.

The board and village officials have been working to hone down the fiscal plan for the coming year for several weeks, and with the final numbers in the board will be tasked with approving a total tax rate of $17.70857 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for the general fund. The tax rate represents a 1.31 percent increase over the current year's rate of $17.48 per $1,000 of assessed value.

General fund appropriations for 2025-2026 are $8,046,853, and will be covered in part by use of a $400,000 fund balance, and $4,004,158 in tax levy. The village's budget for the coming year also includes funds for water, sewer, hydroelectric, recreation and trash. Total budget appropriations for all of the funds, including the general fund, comes in at $12,717,548 with a total of $7,306,261 to be paid for by taxes.

The final version of the budget can be viewed on the village website at https://tinyurl.com/5n6umh8u .

Other agenda items

The mayor and trustees will consider several other agenda items including invoice approvals, and a key formal appointment of its economic developer from part-time to full-time.

The board will:

• vote on a resolution declaring May 2025 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the Village of Potsdam;
• consider approving the transition of Economic Developer David Thurlow from a part-time position (24 hours per week) to a full-time position (40 hours per week), effective immediately. The hourly rate of pay shall remain unchanged at this time and will be subject to revaluation no later than May 31;
• vote on taxi rates for inside the Village of Potsdam limits for North Star Taxi (Ghulam Sabir) for the coming year;
• approve an override of the state tax cap in case the override is needed to approve the budget;
• approve an invoice for the inspection of the Clarkson Water Tower and Lowe’s Water Tower. The invoice also includes the cost of cleaning the Lowe’s tower. The total amount of the invoice is $13,840;
• vote on setting the yearly water EDU (Equivalent Dwelling Unit) rate at $134.90, which equates to $33.73 per quarter billing. This rate will be reflected on bills received after June 1, 2025;
• consider approval of setting the yearly water usage rate at $5.43 per 1,000 gallons of metered water recorded. This rate will be reflected on bills received after June 1, 2025;
• vote on setting the year sewer EDU (Equivalent Dwelling Unit) rate at $138.99, which equates to $34.75 per quarter billing. This rate will be reflected on bills received after June 1, 2025;
• act on a resolution setting the yearly sewer usage rate at $5.60 per 1,000 gallons of metered water recorded. This rate will be reflected on bills received after June 1, 2025;

Board members will are expected to also set a public hearing for May 12 at 4:30 p.m., in the Civic Center Board Room, 2 Park St., to receive public comment regarding proposed Local Law 3-2025 to strike Chapter 52, Salaries and Compensation (§52-1 to §52-2) from the Village of Potsdam Municipal Code. A special meeting is also planned for May 12 starting at 4:45 after the public hearing.