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Ogdensburg council warns of budget pressures, debates sidewalk enforcement and notes DPW facility issues
Summary
Council members discussed a projected 12% budget increase driven largely by sharply higher health insurance costs tied to retiree coverage, addressed a borough salt shortage, debated whether the borough should clear sidewalks after snow, and noted settlement and cracking at the DPW building.
The Ogdensburg Mayor and Council devoted a substantial portion of their Feb. 23 meeting to municipal operations, with the Chief Financial Officer warning of steep health insurance increases, the mayor describing a dwindling salt supply, and council members pressing for clearer sidewalk enforcement following recent storms.
Mike Marceau, the borough’s chief financial officer, provided budget handouts and said that, as presented, requests total about a 12% increase. "The way it sits with everyone’s wish list in there we are at 12% increase which believe it or not fits in the Governors 2% cap," the minutes quote. Marceau said health insurance costs are a major driver: because the borough now carries more retirees for a full 12 months, he estimated health care increased "by about 65%, two hundred thousand dollars." He told the council he would prepare a revised budget and expects to circulate a trimmed draft by the end of the week; the council scheduled further budget discussions on March 9 and March 23 and a special meeting on March 30. The budget must be introduced by April 13, 2026.
Mayor George P. Hutnick and DPW liaisons reported that town stockpiles are low. Hutnick said the borough currently has "about 50 tons" of salt and has been borrowing from Lafayette; he described a missed delivery where the driver did not call DPW before leaving the load because no one was available to sign.
Public-safety concerns about sidewalks arose during old-business discussion. Sgt. Sanfilippo said residents were reporting children walking on Route 517 because sidewalks had not been cleared and warned that "one of them [is] getting hit by a car." The council discussed options including revising the ordinance to require timely shoveling, imposing fines, or authorizing DPW to clear sidewalks in emergent cases; the minutes note a draft ordinance has been submitted to borough counsel and that a two-hour minimum at $100 per hour was suggested for borough-conducted clearing.
Councilman Gordon reported a structural concern at the DPW garage: a slab settlement of about two inches and cracking near the office and first bay that affects plumbing and doors. The council discussed compiling a borough-wide list of needed facility repairs and removing underground fuel tanks this year.
The council entered executive session at 7:37 p.m. for personnel and contract negotiations (Councilwoman Cowdrick and Councilman Gordon recused themselves from the executive session) and returned at 8:01 p.m.; no formal action from the executive session is recorded in the minutes.
The meeting adjourned at 8:02 p.m.
