Rockville Centre Village to discuss tentative 2019 budget on April 9

Rockville Centre officials unveiled the village’s tentative $45 million budget on March 29 during a Board of Trustees meeting at the Sandel Senior Center.

The proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2019 is about $67,000 more than last year’s budget. The tax levy — the portion of the budget raised through residential and commercial property taxes — is expected to be $29 million, a 2.2 percent increase below the 2.3 percent increase allowed by the state. Interim Comptroller John Joyce said the board’s decision to stay slightly below the limit “shows fiscal discipline.”

Additionally, the village receives about $15 million from revenue, most of which comes from the Department of Parks and Recreation, street-parking fees, fines and parking and building permits.

A total of $31.5 million, or 71 percent of the budget, would go toward personal services, such as payroll and benefits for staff. The village also has $4.5 million in reserve funds, which are unassigned, and act like a “cushion,” Joyce said.

When asked about the difference between this budget and the previous one, Joyce noted, “Nothing unusual, nothing excitedly different.”

The budget will be discussed in full at the board’s next meeting on Monday, April 9 at 7 p.m. at Village Hall.