From left, Busti Councilman Todd Hanson, and Councilman Paul Gustafson look over town documents Monday.

LAKEWOOD – Busti Town officials Monday adopted their 2026 spending plan.

According to Supervisor Jesse Robbins, the budget 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 added.

There were two public hearings slated for Monday as well.

During the first public hearing, which was a precautionary measure in case the tax levy changes, officials approved a resolution to override the tax levy limit. No comments were heard from any town residents in attendance, and during the second public hearing, no town residents aired any comments about the preliminary budget.

Along with the budget, the board approved salaries for town officials: the supervisor at $20,000; two justices at $11,500 each; four councilmen at $6,000 each; the highway superintendent at $85,647; and the town clerk/tax collector at $74,212.

In other business, town officials received a letter from the City of Jamestown regarding support for the $500,000 Government Efficiency Fund proposal to support local municipalities that pursue mergers, consolidations, and shared services.

The letter stated that the “city is open to engaging in discussions with any interested municipalities, and is committed to working cooperatively to identify ways we can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and better serve our residents. We extend this invitation in the spirit of collaboration and fiscal responsibility, and welcome any communities who may wish to explore these possibilities together.”

At their Oct. 6 meeting, board members had backed the funding proposal.

“Shared services is a good thing, and it helps municipalities involved in it, Councilman Paul Gustafson said at the Oct. 6 meeting.

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.