Politics & Government

Tentative New Hyde Park 2013-14 Budget at 2.23 Percent

Village facing large reduction in state CHIPS funding.

The New Hyde Park Village budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year is within a hairsbreadth of the state-imposed tax cap.

With a total budget of $5,860,985.85, the budget is $39,350.69 less than the 2012-13 budget. Minus $1.792 million in other revenues, the total tax levy will be approximately $4.068 million, an increase of $88,639 from 2012-13. The tax rate is found by dividing the net assessed value from the total village assessment roll ($19,692,493), subtract all exemptions, and multiply by 100. This equals the total tax rate per $100 of assessed value of a property. The tax rate for 2013-14 will be $20.66, a 3.09 percent increase from last year’s $20.04. As a comparison, tax rates for previous years are as follows: 2012-13: $20.04; 2011-12: $19.53; 2010-11: $18.60.

The state tax cap allows the village a tax levy increase of $90,961.39, or 2.23 percent, with the tentative budget proposing that same number, but falling just below the guidelines at $2,321.43, or 0.01 percent below the limit.

Find out what's happening in New Hyde Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“$88,000 or a difference of $39,000, we’re not talking about a big swing in numbers,” New Hyde Park Mayor Robert Lofaro said during a budget hearing on April 2 at the village hall, “so it’s pretty much consistent with what we had last year; this budget is just a hair below that 2.23 percent.”

The village board does have the authority to supersede the tax cap if it deems necessary, but thus far has given no indication that it would do so this year.

Find out what's happening in New Hyde Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Besides the $4.068 million revenue from property taxes, the village will receive $291,000 from taxes on utilities (Electric, telephone, Cablevision, Verizon, Keyspan), $517,160 from parking lot permits, parking meters, and parking vouchers, and $18,000 from zoning fees and deposits. Licenses and permits add another $165,300, while fines and forfeiture revenues total $372,500. State Aid will add a projected $382,446 to the village coffers. The village will also be losing about $27,000 in CHiPS money with the line going from $121,805 to $94,000.

“It’s all based on how the state allocates and then the calculation,” Lofaro said. “That number may change because we haven’t gotten a formal letter yet, but it might be $96,000, but it’s not $121,000.”

The village is expecting the revenue reimbursement from FEMA following Hurricane Sandy to be applied toward the 2012-13 year “and even if we get it up until sometime in mid August, it would still be referred back to this current fiscal year which ends May 31,” Lofaro said. “We’re hoping it will recoup some of the moneys depleted in our reserve fund that was impacted by the money that we had to expend.”

The village incurred approximately $375,000 in expenses and damage relating to the storm.

While the budget is balanced, expenditure for the village are estimated as follows: board of trustees and mayor: $47,800; judicial department: $133,904.65; auditing: $47,000; treasurer: $72,895.15; budget and assessment: $10,000; clerk staff: $149,120.47; law (retainer and contractual): $80,000; engineering: $10,000; elections: $3,100. Shared services for the village hall will total $50650 and the central garage will receive $273,600.

“Most of the lines that had increases are either contractual – the salary lines – or scripted by the state in terms of their requirement,” deputy mayor Lawrence Montreuil said.

Special items such as unallocated insurance, claims & judgments (certiorari settlements), and a contingency account totals $329,060.61. Public safety including on-street parking and fees, safety inspections and civil defense (village auxiliary police) will cost $326,593.27.

The parks & recreation department will receive $186,539, while it will cost $21,740 to run the zoning board. Refuse collection and disposal will total approximately $1.05 million dollars.

$12,000 is allocated for tree planting around the village and residents who wish to have a tree planted in front of their homes should contact the department of public works. $1,442,556 is budgeted for village employee benefits. State retirement expenses are projected to be $387,615, an increase of 429,901 from 2012-13. There is also $145,000 for claims and judgements, which includes a repayment of taxes collected for previous years for property tax certiorari settlements.

The transportation portion of the budget totals $1.024 million, and includes street maintenance, $5,000 for operation: Main Street, $24,927.78 for road construction, $60,000 for snow removal, and $90,000 for street lighting and maintenance.

Currently the village has four outstanding bonds of 3.4 percent ($1 million), 3.95 percent ($900,000), a variable $1.1 million bond between two and 3.5 percent and 2 percent ($1.3 million).  Principal for the bonds will be $400,000 for the 2013-14 year with $75,072 in interest.  The principle amount will hold through 2014-15, before dropping to $300,000 a year for 2015-16 and 2016-17, then to $200,000 in 2017-18 through 2021-22 and $100,000 from 2022-23 through 2025-26, at which time the bonds will be paid off.

“But more than likely we’ll be looking to replace that with new bonds to help us with additional road projects,” Lofaro said. “The outcome of what we’re trying to accomplish with this tentative budget and soon, eventually an adopted budget, is to just be sure that we’re collecting in taxes enough money to cover our expenses and we feel reasonably sure that that would be the case.”

Get New Hyde Park news on Facebook


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here