OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Hanover Deputy Supervisor Bernie Feldmann is shown during a meeting at Bicentennial Park earlier this year. Upgrades to Bicentennial Park were approved at the recent meeting.

HANOVER — It is budget season for municipalities across the state. As a result, a pair of public hearings will be held at the next meeting of the Town Board, Tuesday, Oct. 14, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Hanover Town Hall. The meeting has been moved back a day from its usual time due to the Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday.

The first hearing, beginning at 7:05 p.m., Oct. 14, will be regarding contracts with the Forestville Fire Department (Districts 1 and 2) and the Perrysburg Fire Department for fire protection in 2026, beginning Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

The Town proposes an amount of $35,908 for Forestville District 1, $31,111 for Forestville District 2, and $2,500 for the limited portion of the town located in the district of the Perrysburg Fire Department. Each company will be responsible for any loss or damage to its fire apparatus in responding to calls, as well as all claims for injuries to personnel.

The second hearing, beginning at 7:35 p.m., will be regarding the 2026 preliminary budget for the Town of Hanover. The budget will be completed and made available to view at the Town Clerk’s office by Oct. 1. Salaries proposed in the preliminary budget include $17,500 for the Supervisor; $18,000 for each of the two Town Justices; $8,200 for each of the four Town Board members; $63,300 for the Town Clerk; and $74,175 for the Highway Superintendent.

A public hearing was at the latest meeting of the Town Board regarding a local law to override the tax cap. There were no comments from the public.

Elmar Kiefer, Town Accountant, stated that the Town does not expect to override the tax cap this year, but that upon advice from counsel in previous years, the Town passes the tax cap override as a local law each year as a precaution. “This year, especially with the changes with the fire companies (merging), we are not going to override it whatsoever,” Kiefer said.

The Town is also currently in discussion with the Village of Silver Creek about a contract extension with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office for enhanced police protection. The current two-year contract expires at the end of the year.

Following an executive session near the end of the recent meeting, the Town Board approved a bid from Byler Construction for an addition at Bicentennial Park to extend the pavilion to allow for more seating. Byler Construction was the lowest responsible bid at $28,400 for a 16-by-24-foot canopy off the front, and a 16-foot extension to the side of the pavilion.

In the month of August, the Town Clerk’s office collected $4,516 in revenue, including 872 State Department of Environmental Conservation permits issued and 40 dog licenses issued. The Code Enforcement office collected $3,160 in August, including 20 total permits issued – 14 in the Town of Hanover and six in the Village of Silver Creek.

The Town also recently declared the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) as the lead agent for the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process pertaining to New York Medical Center, the planned residential mental health and rehabilitation facility at the former Lakeshore Hospital site on Routes 5 and 20.

The application of a small cell wireless facility by Pyramid Network LLC, to be located on Countyline Road on the property belonging to Sean McKenna, was also approved by the Town Board. The required permits and associated fees are to be collected by the Hanover Code Enforcement Office.

Additionally, Town Councilman James Feldmann prepared a procurement policy regarding professional services to allow the Town exemptions to the competitive bidding process. As recommended by the State Comptroller’s Office, the policy would give the Town Board more freedom in contracting for services, rather than being required to select the lowest responsible bid in each instance. The policy will be reviewed in the coming weeks with action to be taken at an upcoming meeting.