ALTAMONT The village board passed its $1.058 million budget Tuesday, and then held its monthly meeting, during which the board voted to fire a full-time employee.

The general fund budget was up nearly $18,000 from its 2011-12 total of $1.04 million. The budget includes a 2-percent raise for all general staff.

“We felt it was important to provide that for the staff,” said Mayor James Gaughan.

He also said that the board included a 1-percent raise to elected officials for the first time in several years.

The tax rate went up 11 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, to $2.68 per $1,000. The increase for a home assessed at $200,000 is $22.

“What this budget reflects is a 2-percent increase in tax revenue,” Gaughan said.

He said that the amount of sales-tax revenue the village receives from the county is the same this year as last year, at $510,000.

The budget includes a $1,700-per-year increase, by two hours per week, for the court clerk. The car reserve fund decreased by $5,000, Gaughan said.

With a tax-levy cap of $9,980 as a limit to what the village can raise in taxes, the board moved $16,000 from its reserve fund to balance the budget, Gaughan said.

“We all love Altamont. We’re a mile square. We don’t have a lot of building going on,” he said. “I think we get a good deal.”

The board included an increase in the budget of $2,000 for legal services from Young, Sommer, LLC for $16,500, up from $14,500 in 2011-12.

The village’s water fund budget stayed the same at nearly $445,000. The sewer fund budget rose almost $7,000 from last year to $461,700.

The budget was approved by the mayor and trustees Dean Whalen, Chris Marshall, and William Aylward. Board member Kerry Dineen was absent.

Taber fired

After an executive session, the board reconvened and voted to terminate full-time Department of Public Works laborer Dennis Taber. According to the new budget, the position carries a salary of $23,000.

Superintendent of Public Works Timothy McIntyre would not say why he recommended Taber’s termination. Taber worked for the village for about three years, McIntyre said.

Taber did not return phone calls before press time.

The village board also voted to install Isaac Conklin in Taber’s place on a temporary part-time basis for $13 per hour. Conklin had been employed by the village previously, but a tight budget eliminated his hours, McIntyre said. With Conklin available now, McIntyre said, “It saved me a lot of aggravation.”

McIntyre said that he would take his time finding a permanent full-time laborer, with the hope of placing someone by next fall.

The new laborer must be “able to work in water and sewer,” he said. He wants a “hand-picked person to fill this spot,” he said.