Olean Common Council Reviews Proposed Water Budget

Officials note issues with budget software transition and seek to standardize financial reporting.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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The Olean Common Council reviewed the proposed $4.57 million water fund budget as part of the city's $33 million spending package. While double-digit tax and sewer bill hikes were proposed, the water fund budget request included no increase to user rates. Officials discussed adjustments to line items like overtime and equipment purchases, as well as the need to increase the water fund's contingency budget.

Why it matters

The review of the water budget is an important part of the city's overall budgeting process, as it ensures proper funding for critical infrastructure and services. The discussions around standardizing financial reporting and the use of contingency funds highlight the city's efforts to improve its budgeting practices and transparency.

The details

During the three-hour meeting, council members reviewed the proposed water fund budget line-by-line, making minor adjustments such as increasing overtime and reducing comp time payment budgets for water distribution crews due to a cold winter with many freeze-thaw cycles impacting water lines. Officials also proposed moving certain one-time purchases, like new water line leak detection equipment and replacement equipment for water meter readers, to a separate line item. The council discussed the need to include such special purchases in the budget rather than using contingency funds, to avoid budget bloat.

  • The meeting lasted around three hours on Thursday, March 6, 2026.
  • The city began a new administrative policy about two weeks ago requiring any purchases of $100 or more to go through a purchase order process.

The players

Amy Sherburne

The mayor of Olean, who described the line-by-line budget review process as 'tedious' but noted its importance in finding efficiencies and addressing issues with the city's transition to new budgeting software.

Brad Camp

The city's water and sewer supervisor, who noted that the city has had 'a ton of water main breaks this year' due to the cold winter.

John Crawford

A Democratic council member from Ward 5, who noted that external auditors have told the city to include one-time purchases in the budget rather than in capital funds or using contingency budget lines.

Vernon Robinson

The Independent council president from Ward 6, who said he would be in favor of increasing the water fund's contingency budget as long as the funds are not used at the end of the fiscal year for additional purchases that should have been in the budget.

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What they’re saying

“The departments even have different names for things than the auditor's office.”

— Amy Sherburne, Mayor (oleantimesherald.com)

“We've had a ton of water main breaks this year.”

— Brad Camp, Water and Sewer Supervisor (oleantimesherald.com)

What’s next

The council plans to review the funding requests from the fire department and code enforcement office on Tuesday. The budget must be approved by April 15 for a June 1 start.

The takeaway

The review of the Olean water budget highlights the city's ongoing efforts to improve its budgeting practices, including standardizing financial reporting, addressing issues with new budgeting software, and ensuring proper funding for critical infrastructure and services.