Politics & Government
Village Board Approves $10.6 Million Budget
A 5.5 percent spending increase will bring an average $78.75 tax hike per household for village residents.
The Patchogue Village Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $10.6 million budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year at its .
The budget is a 5.5 percent spending increase over the current year's budget of approximately $10.4 million, with an average village tax hike of $78.75 per household, officials said.
Ronald Krawczyk, village treasurer, said that uncontrollable increases in medical expenses and retirement contributed to the increase.
Patchogue Village Mayor Paul Pontieri said that the budget was originally going to be a 7.3 percent increase, but officials were able to find places to trim late last week.
“We went to all the departments, and asked them to cut to the bare minimum,” Pontieri said.
There are no full-time staffing cuts, and instead some summer support positions have been eliminated Pontieri said.
Approximately 10 residents attended the meeting, and offered suggestions to the board on where more revenue streams may be found.
“I strongly urge to thin out the staff,” said one resident who suggested furloughs of one or two weeks off of staff a year. “Everyone should volunteer in taking a pay cut.”
Krawczyk said that the department reviews staff every year.
“We look at the staff,” Krawczyk said after the meeting. “There’s no fat.”
He said that they will review staffing again for future budgets.
Pamela Barr suggested a cut in the amenities that residents receive.
“We can bring our recyclables out to the curb once a week, and we can bring our trash cans out to the curb, which should allow DPW a reduction in the number of employees,” she said. “On my street I counted on Monday, 15 garbage cans that were already out at the curb because people bring them there.”
Pontieri said that amenities such as on-property garbage pick-up are one of the reasons residents choose to live in a village.
Pontieri said that a big concern for the village is going to be Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed two percent tax cap, that if approved could take effect in the following year’s budget.
“They want to cap things that we can’t control,” Pontieri said.
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