OXFORD - The Village of Oxford approved its annual budget last month following a meeting that was closed to the public, with an overall decrease in budgeted amount due to the removal of its school resource officer position.

The village has continued to have meetings but has barred all members of the public and even village personnel from attending. The village creates minutes of the meetings and publishes them online. The most current minutes are from April 14, 2020.

When asked about the meeting and other board meetings village representatives said members of the public were not allowed to attend due to the coronavirus, and that there was a limit of four village board members who were able to attend the meetings in person.

According to a document from the Village of Oxford, the 2021 budget consists of $1,703,000, a decrease of $75,750 from last year’s budget. The budget includes increased prices for both water and sewage usage, along with a two percent increase in the tax rate and a raise for elected officials.

Village of Oxford Mayor Terry Stark said that changes to the budget may become necessary if sales tax revenue or other sources of revenue will be greatly impacted by the coronavirus.