Calling this one of the most difficult budget years since he became mayor, Eugene Murray said the board would do everything it can to minimize the impact the budget problems will have on the tax rate.
Last year the village contributed $75,000 in mandatory premiums to the state retirement system. This year, the mayor projects that premium will rise to $1.6 million. He also anticipates an additional $250,000 in health-insurance premium increases for village employees. "That is a 7 percent increase in our budget before we even consider anything else," Murray said.
"In the past, when times were good, we were able to keep our budgets very close to and often below the rate of inflation," he continued. We spent our money wisely for the improvement of our community. This year, spending our money wisely means fighting to maintain our basic services at their current high level in the face of these massive and unavoidable new charges."
The board has joined other municipalities in lobbying Albany for help. The New York State Conference of Mayors is working with State Comptroller Alan Hevesi to minimize the impact of the increases.
After praising Gov. George Pataki for not cutting state revenue sharing or supplemental municipal aid, the mayor called on him and state Sen. Dean Skelos of Rockville Centre to "help us to repeal many of the costly, outdated and ineffective mandates that now constrain municipal budgets."
A date has not been set for the budget hearing, but it is expected to be held the first week in April.
