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Cheektowaga board approves year-end transfers, discusses paving funds and calls for clearer budget monitoring
Summary
The board approved 2024 budget transfers on May 27. Members discussed a recent $1.06 million Pave New York/CHIPS allocation, how the money will be used for overlays and preservation work, and asked for more frequent budget reports and better line-item controls.
The Town Board approved a package of budget transfers covering fiscal-year 2024 at its May 27 meeting and spent significant time discussing the town's approach to one-time capital moves and state Pave New York/CHIPS funds.
Supervisor Brian Nowak presented the transfers for 2024 (Resolution 2025-03-54). Council members asked for clarifications about why transfers were needed, why lines had been overspent and whether some transfers were the result of prior-year changes in capital spending or unanticipated legal or personnel costs. Officials said transfers are often performed after year-end activity and that many reflect moving money to grant- or capital-related expenditure lines that were not reclassified earlier in the year.
The highway superintendent explained the recent news item that Cheektowaga will receive roughly $1,060,000 from state Pave New York/CHIPS funding and described a plan to use the award for preservation work such as mill-and-fill overlays, crack seal and micropaving tests in north and south areas of town. He said the money would typically be used to preserve roadways and avoid more costly full-depth road reconstructions, and that the town also plans to pursue equipment options (for example, faster crack-seal machines) and shared services where possible.
Council members expressed interest in seeing an explicit street list for the CHIPS money, and several urged the town to hold off on major work until the state's figures are confirmed in writing. The highway superintendent said some repair and pothole work was already underway and that the town would try to spread funds to preserve the most road mileage. He also said the town had worked with a neighboring municipality (West Seneca) to handle yard-waste processing on a short-term basis while the town seeks a longer-term solution.
On the transfers themselves, several board members requested better in-year reporting on budget status and line-item availability to avoid overspending individual lines. They discussed procedural options including more frequent budget updates, checking line balances when processing warrants and continuing implementation of a new financial software system that town officials hope will improve oversight by the next budgeting cycle.
The board approved the transfer resolution by roll-call vote. Members requested more frequent reporting of actual-to-budget figures and asked finance staff to prepare clearer documentation ahead of the 2026 budget process.
