By Tiffany Razzano
The initial proposal for the cut came from Village Administrator Ron Wasson and Comptroller Mike Schussheim, because of the "reduction in funding from the government and programs being squeezed out," Wasson said at a briefing session prior to the Aug. 7 board meeting. He also noted that the village's "surplus is being eaten up at an alarming rate." For these same reasons, the Hispanic Brotherhood's Section 8 budget had been cut from $25,000 to $20,000 last year.
"Housing and Urban Development funding has been reduced over the last five years," Schussheim said, "while operating expenses increased." He explained that since the Brotherhood gets most of the HUD money, that is where any budget cuts would have to be made.
The Brotherhood has worked closely with the village's Section 8 housing program - government-subsidized housing for those in lower income brackets - for the past 27 years. Its employees serve as translators for applicants, and also help facilitate the administrative process.
At the briefing session, Schussheim noted a significant reduction in the village's surplus over the past few years. At the end of last year, the reserve was $180,000, while in 2004 it was $228,000, and in 2003 it was $341,000. "We've seen a decline in our reserve," he said. "In three to four years it will be wiped out. This makes a very serious problem. It's prudent that we recommend a $10,000 reduction for the Hispanic Brotherhood."
Margarita Grasing, the organization's president, said that last year the Brotherhood did administrative work on 113 of the 225 units of Section 8 housing in Rockville Centre. She said that not only does the village call her office many times a day, but that the Brotherhood did 2,622 units of housing service last year. "So in our mind, it shouldn't be any question that these people should be helped," Grasing said. "We deserve the funding because we're providing the work. ... We can't do it for $10,000; it's not fair for the community."
Wasson acknowledged the "great job" the Hispanic Brotherhood has been doing and said that the proposed cut was "just crunching numbers and figuring out where we have to cut the pie."
Deputy Mayor Wayne Lipton suggested a smaller, $5,000 reduction to the Brotherhood's funding, saying that such a small cut shouldn't hurt the organization. "[The Hispanic Brotherhood] does wonderful work, and the village has reason to support it," he said.
Trustee Andrew Karamouzis said that the organization's work is "invaluable to Rockville Centre." He added, "More than what they do, financially, I think we get a great deal."
Still, despite the potential financial problems in the future, the board decided that the Brotherhood's funding should not be cut. Mayor Eugene Murray said, "Since we're not in the red yet, I recommend that we continue as usual."
Comments about this story? TRazzano@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221.
