Atlantic Beach village adopts $3.7 million budget

We felt that we didn’t need to borrow money for the roads if we spent within our budget by not working on too many roads at the same time.”

Andrew Rubin, A.B. trustee

Atlantic Beach trustee Andrew Rubin reviewed the 11-page 2019-20 budget proposal for the village for which he applied the words “conservative and realistic,” despite an estimated $200,000 increase from the current budget.

The $3,761,552 fiscal plan was adopted by a 4-0 vote (Trustee Linda Baessler was not in attendance at the April 8 meeting). The current budget is $3,518,499. The tax rate is $126.23 per $100 of assessed value, which is a $6 increase over the current budget.

Some notable expenses include street maintenance, which is projected at $630,401. The current street maintenance cost is $621,770. Rubin noted the process it takes to keep the streets in pristine shape. “When we work on a road, it’s not just a matter of putting a topping on it, we also account for the engineering and gas work on the road so it’s an extensive project,” he said. “We felt that we didn’t need to borrow money for the roads if we spent within our budget by not working on too many roads at the same time.”

Mayor George Pappas said that the street maintenance cost increasing is not something out of the ordinary and has been occurring in recent years. “Five years ago, the cost was at nearly $200,000 and now it’s over $600,000,” he said. “That’s the result of doing projects that improve and provide great services to the village.”

One big expense is for renovations to the tennis center at 60 The Plaza. The budget has $105,000 for maintenance and improvements along with a $22,000 Town of Hempstead sewer tax. Rubin said that $100,000 of that money will come from the state through the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program.

Beach security costs will remain stable at $37,000. An adjustment was made after the 2017-18 budget that spent $60,622. Pappas said that the reason was a decrease in staff. “We realized that our Monday to Thursday security crew at the beaches was too high,” he said. “It simply was an adjustment of the staff number.”

Other business discussed includes the approval of roadwork on Rensselaer Avenue. Steve Cherson, the village’s Public Works superintendent outlined the work. “We plan on making the road two feet wider along with adding new gutters,” he said. “Graci Paving and Associates will do the work and the overall cost will come in at $251,730.”

Pappas was appreciative of Rubin’s efforts of putting the budget together. “This was obviously a team effort but Andy [Rubin] spearheaded this whole thing,” Pappas said. “The board has done a great job at keeping the expenses down.”

The next village meeting is May 13, at 7:45 p.m., at Village Hall, at 65 The Plaza, in Atlantic Beach.