Cedarhurst adopts $5.54M budget

The Village of Cedarhurst unanimously approved its 2015-16 tentative budget of $5.54 million on April 30. Spending will increase approximately $120,000 over the current fiscal plan of $5.42 million.
The total budget consists of two parts. It includes $4,923,241 for the general fund and $640,833 for fire protection services that is part of the village’s contract with the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department, along with other associated costs.
Mandated by New York State law, Cedarhurst’s tax-cap levy will be 1.5 percent which is under the state’s 1.6 percent set for the village. This is the third consecutive Cedarhurst stayed within the state’s mandated tax-cap levy, village officials said.
Trustee Ronald Lanzilotta, Cedarhurst’s budget official, said that budget appropriations increased this year due to what he called “uncontrollable unfunded mandates.”
“The village was able to keep the tax increase in the general fund at 1.5 percent, which is below the 1.6 percent tax cap, due to its ability to maintain a tightly structured budget, absorbing most of the built-in increases caused by the requirements to maintain our infrastructure, services and normal labor and fringe benefits,” he said. “This has been accomplished by the village through various grants and through other revenue sources.”

Lanzilotta pointed to employee benefits such as health insurance as one of those uncontrollable unfunded mandates. The increase in these benefits is $1.563 million of the total budget, officials said. “With New York state health insurance, the projected increase this year is about 9.1 percent,” Village Mayor Benjamin Weinstock said. “This works out to be a projected $60,000 increase from last year, and with worker’s comp insurance, there’s been a $27,000 increase in the general fund.”
Costs for these benefits continue to increase every year, serving as an example of how the state mandates affect costs at the local level, according to Trustee Ari Brown. “With New York State pension contributions, about 14 years ago, it cost less than $4,000 per year,” he said. “This year, it’s increased to be about $430,000. The stock market and employee contributions affect the costs for benefits somewhat, but not at the level that the state imposes. The state likes to boast about funding. Giving mandated funding back to the state affects us at our village level.”
Fire protection and equipment maintenance includes fire hydrants, and making sure that the water is available during an emergency. “Based on water availability for the fire hydrants, we use $83,000 for that,” Weinstock said. “Our fire department is excellent. They take what we give them and stretch that amount.”
Real estate taxes are the largest revenue source for the village, Weinstock said. “It’s an increase that comes to about $10 per year, or .19 cents per week, per average family or home,” he said. In addition to the real estate taxes, revenue sources include state aid, village imposed fines and grants.
Lanzilotta maintains that the budget is fair to taxpayers and helps the village provide needed services. “The Village of Cedarhurst continues to maintain one of the lowest tax rates in the 64 villages in Nassau County,” he said.