WEEDSPORT - The Weedsport Village Board met Wednesday afternoon to express its support of Gov. Paterson's move to get Congress to enact an infrastructure stimulus package and resolved to send letters to U.S. senators and representatives from New York to vote in favor of it.

Weedsport has a number of projects underway to replace aging water and wastewater treatment lines.

The board also worked on its preliminary budget for 2009, discussing cutting or postponing some anticipated expenditures. They all agreed on a goal of no tax increases.

One cut they decided to make was to eliminate the co-pay for its employees' health insurance beginning March 1, as the town pays the entire premium.

Water/sewer rates were also discussed, with members agreeing on a 40-cent increase over the current rate of $2.90 per thousand cubic feet of water to $3.30 per thousand. The idea was not to use money from the reserve fund for water.

“Water has to pay for itself,” Mayor Jean Saroodis said.

The board weighed the possible expense, about $22,620, for a water reader system against continual water loss, including installation of the system into individual houses as well as software and meter pit readers.

It also mentioned the possibility of shutting down a 112-year-old water line along Cottle Road that is no longer paying for itself.

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net