By: BERNADETTE GIACOMAZZO
Village budget not yet final
Trustees put off vote on proposed 9.95% tax hike
At the conclusion of the March 31 budget hearing that continued into the early hours of April 1, the Rockville Centre Village Board of Trustees voted 4-1 to close the budget hearing, but did not vote on the budget.
The proposed budget is a 9.95 percent increase over the current budget, which caused more than a few residents, and some members of the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, to voice concerns.
"If we're looking at a nearly double-digit increase now," said Jeff Greenfield, a former village trustee who voiced his disapproval, "what can we expect in five years?"
Trustees tried to assuage the concerns of citizens by emphasizing that the funding is required to maintain services that residents expect. "My father used to tell me that there is no such thing as a free lunch," said Trustee Andrew Karamouzis."If you want certain things, you have to pay for them."
In his comments at the meeting, Village Comptroller Michael Schussheim noted the financial difficulties that many residents were facing, but said that the tax increase was necessary to maintain services that keep Rockville Centre's property values high. "Economic hard times are a cyclical problem, and we all hope for a return to a more stable economic period in the near future," he said.
Comments about this story? BGiacomazzo@liherald.com or 516-569-4000 x240.
