Looking ahead: Budget talks, high school playoffs are here

PHOTOGRAPHER: Erica Miller

FILE - Mara Allen, 5-years-old, and sister Kiera, 8-years-old, trick or treat from Tessa Pierce, of Middlegrove, outside Lifestyles during the 2018 Saratoga Springs Fall Festival.

LOOKING AHEAD – With a new week underway, here are five of the events and news items our team of reporters is tracking.

SARATOGA SPRINGS BUDGET HEARING TO BE HELD

The first of two public hearings regarding the Saratoga Springs City 2023 proposed budget will be held at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, prior to the start of the city council meeting. As the city continues working on its budget, the public is also encouraged to sit in on the various department workshops taking place. At 11 a.m. Monday the Public Works Department budget will be discussed. At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday the Public Safety Department budget, which is the largest budget of all the city’s departments, will take place.

— Shenandoah Briere

CLIFTON PARK TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ABOUT SIDEWALK PROJECT

The Town of Clifton Park will be holding an open house on Monday at the Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. regarding the Route 146 sidewalk project. The project proposes 0.3 miles of new five-foot-wide concrete sidewalks be installed on the north side of Route 146 from the Northcrest Drive intersection to the Maxwell Drive intersection. Construction of the project is anticipated for 2023. Project engineers will give a presentation and answer questions from the public at the open house.

— Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge

More: All News | Everything Clifton Park-Halfmoon

SCHENECTADY TO CONTINUE BUDGET TALKS

The Schenectady City Council this week will host a series of workshops intended to iron out details pertaining to the city’s 2023 operating budget. The workshops come after the city, last week, held a public hearing on a tentative $103.9 million budget unveiled by Mayor Gary McCarthy late last month that would keep property taxes flat, but increase water and sewer rates by around $1 and $2 per month, respectively. Waste collection fees would also increase $1 per week under the proposed budget, which would increase spending by 6% from the current spending plan. This week’s budget workshops will take place Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at City Hall, Room 110. The meetings will also be broadcast live on Spectrum channel 1303 and Verizon FiOS channel 38, and on the Open Stage Media YouTube page.

— Chad Arnold

More: All News | Everything Schenectady

SARATOGA SPRINGS FALL FESTIVAL RETURNS

The pumpkin roll will return to downtown Saratoga Springs on Saturday as part of the city’s Fall Festival.

The roll starts at noon at Caroline Street and Broadway, and participants can grab a pumpkin and send it down Caroline Street.

From noon to 4 p.m. select businesses will offer candy and other goodies to trick-or-treaters. A sidewalk parade kicks off at 3:30 p.m. outside of Hamlet and Ghost, and costumed kids are welcome to join. The festivities will wrap up with a showing of the movie “Hocus Pocus” from 6-8 p.m. at the City Center Parking Garage. For more information visit saratogaspringsdowntown.com.

— Indiana Nash

More: All News | Everything Saratoga Springs-Ballston Spa

SECTION II SOCCER, FIELD HOCKEY PLAYOFFS START

There’s already been postseason action this fall in high school golf and girls’ tennis, but competition really begins to heat up this week with the tournaments in field hockey and both boys’ and girls’ soccer getting underway.

The brackets were set for the field hockey tournaments on Saturday, while the seeding meetings for both boys’ and girls’ soccer will be held Monday, with the opening rounds in each tournament being held later in the week. Among the prominent teams to watch out for are Saratoga Springs, Guilderland and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake field hockey; Shaker, Mohonasen and Schalmont girls’ soccer; and Saratoga Springs, Shenendehowa, Scotia-Glenville and Mechanicville boys’ soccer.

— Adam Shinder