Usual Tensions Flare as Village Board Scrambles to Agree on Next Year's Budget

At Wednesday's Board of Trustees meeting, board members continued discussions on thwarting a 3.72 percent tax levy increase in next year's tentative $36 million budget.

Trustee Sam Terenzi said that the tax levy increase doesn't accurately reflect the property tax burden homeowners will experience if the tentative budget is adopted. The actual impact on property owners, he said, would be a tax rate of 14.7 percent, a point at previous board meetings.

But Trustee Dan Brakewood said that figure would likely be offset by an average decreased property value of about nine percent.

"Is the government taking more money out of people's pockets?" he asked. "Let's say the assessables go up, that's not a reason for this government to start spending more money."

According to Village Manager Christopher Russo, decreased assessed property values incorporated into next year's tentative budget have resulted in a loss of $1.9 million in revenues.

To compensate for these losses as well as increased state retirement contribution and health care costs, Russo said that the village has proposed laying off four employees. A 3.72 percent tax levy increase in property taxes for resident with a home valued at $500,000, he explained, amounts to about $220.

Trustee John Branca said at the meeting that the board's fundemental goal should be "to make sure we are spending less money this year than last year. Every time a taxing jurisdiction gets more money, it spends more money."

According to next year's tentative budget, the village expects a 7.68 percent increase in revenues and a 3.64 percent increase in expenses.

Some board members have suggested putting police positions on the chopping block. Amidst the looming onset of union negotiations, a legion of officers turned out at the meeting to oppose such cuts. Public safety costs make up about 29 percent of the tentative budget, not including benefits.

In typical fashion, board members shot personal attacks at one another over the course of the meeting.

A discussion initiated by Mayor Dennis Pilla brought to the table whether or not he and the board should rescind their stipends and serve in their positions as volunteers, as the board does in neighboring Rye Brook. Such a move would save the village more than $40,000.

During the discussion, Trustee Brakewood accused Terenzi of advocating a smaller budget but neglecting the details of how to go about achieving it. Terenzi shot back that the board should be skeptical that Brakewood was advocating for the elimination of their stipends when he "might not even be here next year."

State law mandates that village boards finalize proposed budgets by May 1. Because May 1 is a Sunday, the board agreed last night to schedule a May 2 meeting to finalize the budget.

Editor's Note: The public does not vote to approve the finalized budget, as stated in an earlier version of this article. The budget is approved by the village board.