RSS 2.0 FeedThursday, January 12, 2012, Freeport-Baldwin Leader
Freeport village trustees hold budget hearing
Freeport village trustees discussed the proposed fiscal year 2012-13 tentative $63.25 million budget Monday but decided to adjourn the hearing and to hold a second public hearing at noon Saturday to consider some proposed amendments to certain budget items before taking a vote.
Budget consultant David Tanner presented the tentative budget, which would include a 2.08 percent increase in the tax levy and a 4.3 percent change in the tax rate. It would mean an annual increase of $153 for a home valued at $360,000, according to Mr. Tanner’s calculations.
About $41.5 million, about $900,000 more than the current fiscal year, would be raised through taxes based on an assessed valuation of $69.4 million, a drop of about $1.5 million over the current year’s figure.
An estimated 34 percent of the remaining revenue would be raised through other sources, including fees, interest, and cost-cutting measures. This figure compares “favorably with other villages,” Mr. Tanner said.
Major expenses in the appropriations budget include $19.15 million, public safety; $15.21 million, employee benefits; $7 million, debt service; $4.16 million, sanitation; $3.34 million, culture and recreation (recreation center); $3.43 million, special items; $2.84 million, staff; $2.45 million, shared services; $2.45 million, transportation; and $1.51 million, finance.
Several members of the public spoke on various budget issues.
Alan Jay, noting the increasing costs associated with employee salaries and benefits, said Freeport “is on a collision course with bankruptcy.” He cited “productivity issues” in situations such as spouses of deceased employees, who still work but receive their husbands’ Social Security payments.
Stephen Malone, a former deputy village attorney, noted the budget shows “a substantial reduction in the mayor’s budget, which I am glad to see.” He questioned why Freeport employs six messengers in various departments, which he said was “excessive” for a village of this size.
“It’s a ridiculous number of messengers at an obscene salary – almost $300,000. We don’t need six messengers,” he said, and suggested some be laid off.
Mr. Malone also questioned why the number of village employees rose from 300 to 379 “in one year’s time.”
Village Attorney Howard Colton said that “some are part-timers, as required by the state.”
Mr. Malone also questioned the need for a full-time rink guard at the Recreation Center.
Mayor Andrew Hardwick responded to Mr. Malone’s suggestion that layoffs are needed. “It’s not possible for board to single out any [civil service] individuals for layoffs,” he said. “That’s illegal.”
He added that “the board and mayor took substantial pay cuts and lowered other salaries.
“Cutting is not a problem for us,” the mayor continued. “We did whatever was necessary and we’ll do everything in our power to cut without layoffs.” He added that he “cut more than the previous mayor.”
Another resident, Mark Davella, declared, “As I see it, the system is broken” and“ is about to crash.” He recommended that the village do a reassessment, install new computer software, place a two -year moratorium on tax certiorari cases and “phase out people who can’t keep up anymore.”
Mr. Davella also complained that the Recreation Center “is outdated and in the red” and that the industrial park has a 30-40 percent vacancy rate.
Trustee Robert Kennedy responded by inviting Mr. Davella to attend the budget meetings “where we go down line item by line item.”
Mr. Tanner said that Freeport “is not alone,” when it comes to the financial problems caused by tax certiorari cases. “It also plagues Nassau County,” he said.
Another speaker, Carol Martinez, agreed with Mr. Malone’s point on the large number of messengers. “It seems excessive to me.”
She also complained about the amount of overtime pay in various departments including the mayor’s office, stating it “is an entire person’s salary for a year. It seems to me it’s poor management.”
Public Works Director Scott Richardson said much of the reason for high overtime in his department was for necessary services such as snow removal. “We cannot predict hurricanes and snowstorms,” he said.
Anthony Miller, commenting on a positive note, called watching the budget workshop process “a wonderful experience” and thanked the board for its “hard work.”
Mr. Miller, a former mayoral candidate, expressed concerns about the need for a full-time rink guard. He said that a part-time staff person could fill the role and would provide an employment opportunity for young people.”
Mayor Hardwick responded that “a major initiative is coming forward that requires full-time rink guard,” but did not elaborate on what that initiative might be.
“Our goal is to raise the revenues in the rec center; “It is a super facility that has a great deal of potential,” he said.
Two other hearings
In two hearings held prior to the budget hearing, village trustees amended the village code regulating dimensions and weights for truck and other large vehicles authorizing the use of scales on heavily traveled routes. They also approved the annual $126,000 contract with the Freeport Fire Department. The cost has remained constant for several years.
Regarding the enforcement of vehicle weight limits, the village does not own the scales, but will look to lease the three or four units that the state Department of Public Safety deems necessary to determine a vehicle’s proper weight.
Signs would be placed along certain heavily traveled routes to alert drivers their trucks must be weighed. Teams consisting of a Freeport police officer and two or three civilian employees would conduct the weigh-ins periodically, and in coordination with other villages, such as Lynbrook and Garden City, that also weigh vehicles.
