OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Silver Creek Village Trustee Marv Cummings vowed to assist in addressing a frequent speeding issue in the village on Parkway Street.

SILVER CREEK — At a recent meeting of the Silver Creek Village Board, Mayor Jeff Hornburg joked about “the good news everybody has been waiting for.”

The tentative 2023-24 budget has been presented to the Village Board. The initial budget as presented shows a 1.25% increase in taxes.

“We will do our very best to get it to a negative number. How far we can do that, I don’t know,” said Silver Creek Mayor Jeff Hornburg. “I can tell you this much, folks. Gas, electric, and fuel have gone bananas since the pandemic. We’re still doing OK, but we’re going to have to raise something, and there’s only so many places you can cut.”

Hornburg noted the village does not require a sizable amount of repairs and money is set aside to purchase new equipment.

The preliminary budget is expected to be adjusted before its official presentation on May 1. The preliminary budget in its current state is available to view in the Village Clerk’s office.

Also at the recent meeting, Village Board awarded Todd Johnson honorary status with the Silver Creek Emergency Squad. Darrin Tippens was added to the Emergency Squad, while Chris Cook, Brandon Erick, and Dalton Neubauer were removed. The decisions were made according to recommendations from the Silver Creek Emergency Squad.

The Village Board is also planning to ask for help from the sheriff’s department with enforcement of speeding violations in the village, specifically along Parkway Street. The issues were noted most frequently in the afternoon/evening portion of the day.

The village looks forward to the installation of its new playground equipment, which was purchased through a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, and stored because of the winter weather. The new equipment will be installed at the village playground, with some of the old equipment set to be moved to the Little League field. Tree removal is already underway at the Little League field.

The next mobile food pantry event is set for Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the municipal parking lot, sponsored by FeedMore WNY, the Silver Creek Food Pantry, and the Village of Silver Creek. At the last event, 275 boxes of food were distributed within an hour. “It has been very well-received,” said Hornburg.

The next meeting of the Silver Creek Village Board is April 3 at 7 p.m. at the village municipal building.