For the last 18 years, the Village of Waterville has not raised property taxes for the village budget.
As the Village Board works on the 2025–26 budget, the goal is to keep taxes at the same level once again.
At last week’s Village Board meeting, Mayor Gene Ostrander said despite the steady line on taxes, a lot has been done in the Village in the last 18 years.
Some of that, he said, has been through grants and the Barton Trust Fund.
A Budget Workshop will take place Monday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m.
In other matters, Waterville Fire Department Chief Jarrod Waufle said since August six new members have joined the department. They include Jacob Jones, who was approved at the meeting.
All six are taking a training class starting this month.
Waufle said the six from Waterville make the biggest group the department has had take the class at one time.
In January, the department responded to 30 medical calls and four fire calls.
Four medical calls were rolled to another agency due to a lack of responders.
The department is switching companies for medical supplies, having found a cheaper option.
The Board approved a bond resolution to buy a 2005 fire truck from a Pennsylvania fire department.
The cost is $200,000 and will be paid for by the village and towns of Sangerfield and Marshall.
A truck was needed immediately when a tanker in the WFD fleet was taken off the road.
A man who owns an apartment house on Osborne Avenue explained how he responded to a complaint made to Codes Officer Whitey Brown regarding a broken hot water heater.
DPW Superintendent Jamie Bechy said Circle K has shut off an outside hose that was leaking and wasting water.
Water usage has been high because the Waterville Car Wash has been busy, he said.
Brown said heat is back on at the Dollar General.
Village elections are Tuesday, March 18. Both the Democrats and Republicans have endorsed all three incumbents: Ostrander for mayor and Amanda Briggs and Larry Stern as trustees.
Stern, Ostrander and Village Clerk Gayle Barnes attended a recent conference for municipalities in Albany.
In the DPW report for January, 54.45 tons of garbage were taken to the Transfer Station at a cost of $3,267 and 12.74 tons of recycling were taken for free.
Village residents used 7,032,000 gallons of water at an average of 227,000 a day.