By ARIELLA MONTI
"Our revenues are down from all sources and our expenses are up," said Bossart, adding that the village is not immune to the economic challenges facing all levels of government. "The current circumstances require us to be attentive and very careful in all the decisions we make on behalf of our fellow residents."
The village increased taxes by nearly 9 percent in 2008, and moved ahead with several projects, one of which was a six-month trial agreement between the village and North Shore Hospital.
"We put safety first and funded a new emergency ambulance service recommended by the Rockville Centre Fire Department," said Bossart. The agreement with North Shore provides an ambulance and EMS personnel Monday through Friday between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. "So far North Shore has performed very well," said the mayor. "We will continue to monitor their performance very closely before deciding whether to renew the agreement in June."
Bossart noted tthathe village concluded a franchise agreement with Verizon that will bring another cable choice to village residents. "The Verizon system will be bringing Rockville Centre school district channels to those homes in the district that are outside the village boundaries," she said. "Something Cablevision has been unwilling to do." Bossart added that she expects the channels to be active in February.
Bossart went on to say that other noteworthy events in 2008 included an informal meeting among village officials, residents and experts regarding the brownfield cleanup on Banks Avenue, and the completion and dedication of the Sandel Senior Center garden park.
The village police department earned its second five-year reaccreditation. "It is one of only two departments in the New York State metropolitan area accredited by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services," said Bossart.
In 2008, the village committed to becoming more "green" in 2009. "We are scheduling energy audits of all village buildings, which will be carried out by New York Power Authority," said Bossart, noting the audits will provide blueprints for future energy saving initiatives. "We are stepping up efforts to recycle all office waste as well as glass, cans and bottles."
"The early leaders of our village and those who led the village during difficult times provided us with good role models," Bossart said. "We can and we will do no less than they did to ensure Rockville Centre is a great place to live and raise a family."
Inter-municipal agreement approved
In a 4-1 vote, the board approved an inter-municipal agreement with Nassau County to fund repairs and renovations to Mill River and Centennial Park. The county agreed to credit the village $100,000 it has already bonded for repairs to the auxiliary olice building, so the village will need to bond only an additional $225,000 instead of the $325,000 that was initially proposed. Trustee Dave Krasula, who voted against the agreement, said he resisted because of the state of the economy and the amount of money that will be bonded.
Comments about this story? AMonti@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
