BERNE, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — Berne remains without a fully functioning town board after three of five board members resigned in August. For the first time, NEWS10 heard from Town Supervisor Dennis Palow about the issue on Thursday.
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“Our priority right now is to start getting back to the town and our residents so we can quickly start working again,” said the Republican Palow.
Despite its autumn tranquility, trouble has been brewing in Berne following the resignations of Councilmembers Al Thiem, Leo Vane Jr., and Joe Martin in August. The lack of a full board hasn’t kept general services from operating. When it comes to major decisions like the budget, however, that’s where it gets complicated.
“We are a member of the association of towns. And we reached out to them. I turned in my tentative budget on time to the town clerk and because we have no board my tentative budget will pass for the 2025 budget,” says Palow. In short, in the absence of a functioning board, Berne can continue to operate off of its 2024 budget throughout 2025…