63.0°,
Partly Cloudy Rockville Centre taxes, fees to increase
Seniors, students voice opposition to proposed budget cuts to senior services
At the village budget hearing on March 29, Comptroller Mike Schussheim offered a preview of what residents could expect in the 2011-12 fiscal year, which begins June 1.
Schussheim explained that the home real estate tax would increase by 4.9 percent, and that the village, which needs to generate more revenue, would increase parking permit fees by 15 percent — the first hike in three years. He added that fees for the Recreation Center would also increase by 10 percent.
The proposed spending plan that Schussheim presented to the Board of Trustees, and an audience of more than 100 that packed Village Hall to comment on it, totals $38.9 million, approximately $1.6 million more than the current budget.
The village was in a difficult situation in planning the budget, Schussheim said, and had “no good options,” especially given the rising costs of its retirement and health insurance systems. He predicted that retirement costs would continue to grow over the next several years, and that in 2011-12 they would rise by $480,000, while health insurance costs would jump by $470,000.
Because of those increases, Schussheim said, the village plans to reduce expenditures like part-time staffing for the Department of Public Works and the Sandel Senior Center. Summer positions for public works employees would be eliminated, he said, and part-time staffing at the senior center would drop by 50 percent.
“It’s never easy,” Schussheim said about planning the budget. “[The Department of Public Works] is an area we care about … We’re hopeful that, in the future, we’ll also be able to restore funding to the Senior Services Department.”
After his presentation, James Fagan, chairman of the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, offered a list of recommendations on how the village can improve its budgeting operations in the future. The suggestions included researching neighboring municipalities’ spending and updating the village’s accounting system with new computer software.
To the apparent delight of many in the audience — which included a number of Sandel Senior Center members — Fagan warned trustees about the cuts proposed for the center. “These reductions may negatively impact the services there,” he said.
