Despite spending cuts, all Malverne services remain

Malverne Village officials have cut spending for the coming year, but due to declining revenues, village taxpayers will still have to pay a little extra next year.

The proposed $14.37 million spending plan maintains all services and programs provided by the village — something Malverne Mayor Patricia McDonald said was the result of hard work and collaboration between Trustee Joe Hennessy, Village Clerk Terry Emmel and all the department heads.

“They worked very diligently to come in with a zero or less budget, with no changes,” McDonald said. “They’re trying to work with as little as they possibly can, but still provide the services that the residents have grown accustomed to and rightly so.”

In addition to fire, police and public works services, village residents will continue to see the village’s Roadway Improvement Project as it enters phase three, the downtown beautification and the Department of Public Works facility renovation.

Although projected spending for 2011-12 is down by about $121,000 from the current year, the tentative tax increase is 2.8 percent. Based on the project tax rate of $62.28 per $100 of assessed valuation, average taxpayers will pay between $80 and $100 extra in taxes next year.

McDonald said the trustees received “complete cooperation” from every department and that the village is “trying to work on a need, not a want, basis.” But, she added, putting together the tentative budget did not come without its challenges. At the April 14 budget hearing (at which two reporters and one village resident were present), McDonald said there was a drop in revenues of about $332,000, primarily from areas beyond the board’s control: a state aid cut, the elimination of the Nassau County sales tax, the drop in interest rates and a reduction in the mortgage tax.

The board also faced the challenge of absorbing an increase in pension costs, which totaled about $253,000, and included funding for the MTA mobility tax in the budget.

“Where we’ve lost money, we’re trying to find other means of trying to make up for that,” McDonald said, adding that that includes actively seeking grant opportunities, although that, too, is an area that has been “hard-hit by the economy.”

The Malverne Police Department received grants for its DWI and seat-belt enforcement programs, while the Justice Court was awarded $2,800 for furniture replacement. Through the Office of Community Development, the village was awarded $40,000 for repairs and renovations to the bathrooms at Village Hall.

Additionally, the village has managed to save about $130,000 per year through its solid waste disposal plan, which now includes a cardboard recycling program, expected to the save the village even more next year. Starting next month, the village will also begin the competitive bidding process for its liability and property insurance coverage, also expected to garner some savings.

As a result of planning and management throughout the last few budget years, the board was able to end the 2010-11 year with a $500,000 surplus, which will be used to defray taxes, according to Emmel, the village clerk. Overall, McDonald and the board trustees are content with the budget they’ve put forward and are optimistic that it will be adopted on April 21.

“I’m pleased,” budget officer Hennessy said, “considering what we’ve lost and our expenses.”