WESTERLO — The Westerlo Town Board has approved a $2.1 million preliminary budget for 2006. That’s an increase of about $170,000 over this year’s budget.

WESTERLO—It’s an off-year in Westerlo. In the only Hilltown without a race for supervisor this year, it was an uneventful election.

KNOX—As Tuesday’s election approached, no one in Knox seemed able to predict who would win the race for superintendent of highways.

BERNE—The incumbent supervisor in Berne, Kevin Crosier, won a second term despite very vocal opposition and running on the Republican line in a town where Democrats outnumber Republicans, two to one.

BERNE — Although Berne’s preliminary budget for 2006 is about $270,000 higher than this year’s budget, it calls for a tax-rate decrease of about 1.3 percent, or about five cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

RENSSELAERVILLE — In the only Hilltown where Republicans have historically had a significant presence in the town government, a first-time office-seeker is battling a political veteran to replace the current supervisor.