Cheektowaga, N.Y. (WBEN) - Some tough budget decisions will be made in the Town of Cheektowaga over the next couple of months.
Cheektowaga is dealing with some of the same issues that other local municipalities have run into. American Rescue Funds have been used over the past several years to cover expenses. Those funds are gone. New solutions need to be found.
"We have five public sector unions in the town," said Supervisor Brian Nowak.
"We've given three of them raises of 3.25%. We're dealing with a fourth now.
That alone, is going to take us past the tax cap. We also have aging infrastructure. We need to do work on our sewers, our drainage and sanitary system, and of course roads need to be repaved."
All of this will be flushed out at a Town Hall meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. at Cheektowaga Central High School at 3600 Union Road.
Nowak has been trying to get out in front of this for the past 14 months, asking residents what types of services they want to see, and to get input on what type of cuts can be made.
"The general sentiment is, please don't raise our taxes or cut services. Everyone has different ideas," he said.
Some town board members have suggested cutting spending by one percent.
"But the only way we meet contractual and infrastructure needs and be successful, is if we make service cuts."
Nowak said he wants the public to have a dialogue with elected officials so that they understand everything that goes into the budget.
Decision time, he added, is closer to summer time. The budget must be in place by Dec. 30. But he said those discussions need to happen now.