Document: Trustees Deliver on Promise, Trim Port Chester's Budget

Although they face accusations of circumventing the public budget process, Port Chester's Republican trustees can claim victory for delivering on a central promise: cutting spending.

The three Republicans and one conservative on the board met privately over the weekend and , then presented a new draft to Mayor Dennis Pilla and the rest of the board hours before Monday night's budget adoption meeting.

After a meeting where emotions ran high and accusations flew back and forth, the board approved a budget that cut spending by about $88,000 over last year.

The final figure? $34,874,553.

On Monday night, after arguing over the impact on the tax levy and tax rate, both Republican and Democrat trustees agreed the final figures provided tax relief to the majority of homeowners in Port Chester.

Although individual tax rates vary depending on the value of assessed property and other factors, trustees said taxes will drop or remain the same for about 85 percent of homeowners in the village.

Trustees also claimed another victory by avoiding layoffs and measurable reductions in village services, although there was disagreement over cuts to the police and fire departments as members of the board quizzed managers on specific line-item cuts Monday night.

"Every family in Port Chester is tightening their belt," said Trustee John Branca. "What we are saying is that there are going to be situations where we are going to have to do more with less. We are fighting and scratching to make sure that this village maintains full employment in its fire, police, sanitation and administrative services."

Although managers in the fire and police departments might not be happy with cuts, "they're willing to try," Branca said.

Comparing the village's finances to the private sector, Trustee Bart Didden said the board was simply asking village managers to do what their counterparts in business have been doing for the duration of the economic recession.

"The people of Port Chester deserve that effort," Didden said. "As a business owner, I create expectations for my managers and I tell them to manage...to get get better productivity out of our people so that our company will survive."

Facing the same uncontrollable costs in pensions and benefits that government at every level is struggling with in the current economy, trustees slashed line items large and small, from office supplies and building services in several departments, to money for spare parts to repair municipal vehicles.

Click the box at the top right to view a .pdf copy of the 2011-2012 adopted budget. Check back with Port Chester Patch for follow-up posts detailing the impact of the adopted budget, and potential changes for village services and departments.

Follow Port Chester Patch!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PortChesterPatch

Twitter: http://twitter.com/PChesterPatch