Village Budget Vote Nears/No Final Draft Yet

Monday at 6 p.m. there will be a public hearing on the 2014-15 Patchogue Village budget. However not seen in some time: no final draft of the budget has yet been released to the public prior to the public hearing. One may be issued today or tomorrow as apparently budget negotiations are still continuing as village officials struggle to come to a final proposed figure.

A provisional draft renounced almost as soon as it was published last week did propose a seven percent tax increase for next year. At this point whether that figure was knocked back down to the tax cap level of two percent also remains unknown.
Governor Cuomo's new tax cap plan will rebate to tax payers two percent of their village taxes but only if the village stays within the tax cap for two years and otherwise effects a one percent reduction in spending. However that plan may not take effect until the next budget while the present tax cap does remain in effect unless over ridden by the Board which has already given itself that power. 

In any event the clock is ticking. 

And while I am on the subject of taxes, out of the limelight but not out of memory ought to be that proposed 6.1 million dollar bond plan for a two story parking deck in the village. It has fallen off the radar but no one should be misled: it is still on the agenda.

To this date no one has explained that 6.1 million dollar figure either. How much for land, how much for the "brackets" to grid the village walkways, how much to build the garage, how much for the various plantings to upgrade the look of the brackets, how much to run it once built all those how much questions still without answers.

And the biggest one of all: who is going to pay for producing the smallest amount of new parking with the highest price tag to do so taking the longest time to get there with the most disruption of main street businesses in light of other alternatives that exist like surface parking.