BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The village board is beginning its budget crafting process for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

And, over the next couple weeks, village officials will once again hold public budget workshops so residents can watch the process of crafting the village’s plan for the coming fiscal year, which starts June 1.

The village board of trustees approved several measures at its meeting March 3 that signaled the start of the budget building process for the coming year.

“Following the process that we did last year, we are going to be moving toward getting these tentative budgets to the board and posted on the village website by our March 17th meeting,” said Potsdam Village Mayor Alexandra Jacobs Wilke at the March 3 meeting. “So by our next meeting.”

“In between now and then, I know staff have already been meeting with our treasurer (Erica) Russell and administrator (Isabelle) Gates-Shult,” Wilke said. “I will be joining some of those sessions as we develop our first draft budget and that’s our, sort of our framework as we then move forward.”

“Then we are looking to schedule, once again as we did last year, budget workshops on the tentative 2025/26 budget where we walk through everything.”

Wilke said the public will be able to watch the back and forth conversations about adjustments and line item changes.

“So we’re looking to hold those budget workshops,” the mayor said.

Wilke said one of the public workshops will be after the village’s regular meeting on April 7, followed by a second night of workshops on April 8.

The mayor said the village will be moving its second April meeting to April 28, and the board is expected to vote on the final budget at that meeting.

She said as the versions of the proposed budget will be posted and updated on the village website as the board refines the plan.

“Again, we really appreciate the transparency. Last year as we put together this process, I thought it was wonderful,” Wilke said.

Later during the meeting, the board approved several budget related resolutions, moving the process forward.

The board, as in year’s past, approved a resolution scheduling a public hearing on Monday, April 7, at 5:45 p.m. in the Civic Center Board Room, 2 Park St. to receive comments regarding a local law amendment that would override the state tax cap. The override, a customary step that many municipalities approve annually, gives the village a little leeway to balance the budget if needed by increasing taxes to make the ends meet. Generally, the village does not need to exceed the cap and the override is rescinded following approval of the budget plan.

The board also set a second public hearing on Monday, April 7, at 5:55 p.m. to receive comments on the tentative proposed Village budget for the Fiscal Year 2025-2026.