Angel Javier Jr, Mayor of the Village of Albion, was marked absent when trustees opened a public hearing at 5:45 p.m. on March 28, 2024, on overriding the state's tax levy limit for the 2024-2025 budget. He entered the meeting at 5:53 p.m., in time to hear two residents question the move, and by the time the hearing closed at 6:24 p.m. he was ready to vote against it. Trustees carried Local Law 1-2024, which overrides the levy limit set by General Municipal Law §3-c, on a 3-2 vote. Javier and Chris Barry, Trustee, voted Nay; Joyce Riley, Deputy Mayor, David Buczek, Trustee, and Tim McMurray, Trustee, voted Aye. During the hearing, resident Jeff Holler asked questions on the tentative budget and the need for overriding the tax cap limit, and resident Karen Conn raised concern about how increased taxes could affect the local housing market, according to the minutes. The tax law was not the only cost increase trustees moved forward that night. Later in the meeting, the board voted to bring a second round of rate hikes to the public: a 60 percent increase to the base charge on residential water bills and a 15 percent increase to the residential water volumetric charge, a 10 percent increase to the volumetric water charge billed to towns and the correctional facility, and 7 percent increases to sewer volumetric charges for both residents and the correctional facility. That motion also carried over Javier's Nay vote, with Barry abstaining and Riley, Buczek and McMurray in favor. Trustees set April 10, 2024, at 6 p.m. at Village Hall for two public hearings growing out of the night's business — one on the tentative 2024-2025 budget itself, the other on the proposed water and sewer rate increases. The minutes record Barry as not witnessing the vote that scheduled the rate hearing. Money moved in the other direction as well. Trustees approved payment of village bills covering Vouchers #45615-45713 — $77,140.04 from the general fund, $11,138.82 from the water fund and $23,278.15 from the sewer fund — and accepted the February 2024 treasurer's report. They voted to send unpaid property maintenance bills to Orleans County for relevy onto the 2024-2025 village tax bills, and adopted Resolution 2024-13, putting the state's LGS-1 records retention schedule into effect for village record-keeping. The meeting's last vote returned to the water system driving the rate increases. Trustees voted 4-1 to let the Water Treatment Plant hire a WTP Trainee at the established union rate for a 78-week probationary period, funded through contingency funds and money set aside in the tentative budget for a position budgeted at 50 percent of an operator's cost. This time the dissent came from Riley, who had voted for both the tax override and the rate increases; Javier, who had voted against both, voted Aye to hire. The minutes record no explanation for either trustee's vote. Several other items were pushed to future meetings for attorney or board review: a Niagara Mohawk easement request for village property on Densmore Street, a water agreement with the Town of Carlton, a lease request from Crown Castle, and a lease-rate review for 121 North Main Street involving Darlene Benton are all tabled until April 10, 2024; a cannabis code review is tabled until April 25, 2024, when the board's workshop meeting — moved from April 23 — is also scheduled. The board additionally agreed to let GOMAC use Bullard Park for a mental health walk and health fair on May 24, 2024, and to allow an ACS student to intern in the Village Clerk's office from April 9 through June 6, on weekdays from noon to 1 p.m.