Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper Valatie Village Mayor Diane Argyle presented the Village Board with a $1.7-million proposed budget for 2018-19 at a special meeting, April 4. The budget calls for the tax rate to remain the same, so most village residents will not see an increase in their village taxes next year. The proposed budget includes funds for a deputy village clerk and for sidewalk repair. The village recently saw a spike in revenue from interest and late fees for overdue water bills, but that will decrease because residents are now paying their bills on time, Argyle said. “We have to expand our customer base with the water and sewer,” she said. The village is now actively looking for residences outside of the village that can connect to the village system. The mayor is also making an argument for the village to sell the leases on the cell towers in the village. Argyle says selling them for one upfront fee will give the village the funding it needs for critical road and water main projects. Trustee Frank Bevens opposed the idea, saying the county wanted to use one of the towers for its emergency 911 system. The next meeting of the village board will be 7 p.m., May 8 at the Glynn Building. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.