From left Busti Town Councilman Jim Andrews, Supervisor Jesse Robbins, Councilman Todd Hanson, and Councilman Paul Gustafson look over documents Monday. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

LAKEWOOD – Busti Town officials Monday Monday presented their preliminary 2026 budget.

The preliminary spending plan, according to Supervisor Jesse Robbins, is $3,470,765 with an estimated revenue of $1,866,539, and a fund balance of $402,035.

The amount to be raised by taxes, or tax levy, is $1,202,191, Robbins said.

“I think it’s a good budget,” Robbins said. “There is still a little tweaking to do.”

The board set a Nov. 3 public budget hearing. It is anticipated that the board will adopt the spending plan then, Robbins said.

The board also set a Nov. 3 public hearing at 7 p.m. to override the tax levy limit. Robbins said the hearing is a precautionary measure in case the tax levy changes.

Board members also backed the $500,000 Government Efficiency Fund to support local municipalities that pursue mergers, consolidations, and shared services.

The fund was announced in September during the Chautauqua County Legislature meeting when County Executive PJ Wendel presented his county budget proposal.

Wendel said then the fund was unlike existing programs that reimburse costs after the fact, and that the fund would provide upfront financing to help municipalities reduce redundancies, streamline operations, and ultimately lower long-term property taxes.

“I’ll just say, regarding shared services, we’ve done it with the (Lakewood-Busti) police, and we do it with the fire department,” said Councilman Paul Gustafson. “Shared services is a good thing, and it helps municipalities involved in it. So, if we can do more of that, then we should investigate that.”