Trustees Hold Budget Study Sessions
By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

The Garden City Board of Trustees held two budget study sessions on Jan. 25 and 27 to review a first draft of the 2007-2008 tentative Village budget.

The tentative 2007-2008 budget totals $54,681,655, an increase of 4.09 percent from the 2006-2007 modified budget. The average home tax increase will be determined once the average home assessment is provided by the state assessor's office. Last year the average homeowner had to pay an additional $147.84 in Village taxes per year.

Although study sessions have been held in previous years, this year marked the first time that a Citizen Budget Review Committee attended the meetings. Trustee John Watras, who is serving his second year as finance commissioner, described the committee as a "group of professional volunteers that are here to help, not criticize." The committee includes chairman Roy Ryniker, Daniel Donnelly, Hugh McCay, Donald Pfail, Robert Sundius, Andrew Thaler and John Traxler.

Before each department head gave his presentation, Watras listed the characteristics the Board would note. "We want to see accountability, credibility, loyalty, honesty, imagination and enthusiasm, and we feel for the most part we have it. We want service without compromise."

Department heads went over the figures in their budgets and then fielded questions and comments from trustees and the Citizen Budget Review Committee. On Thursday night, the Board heard from Village Auditor Jim Olivo, Village Administrator Robert Schoelle, Jr., Superintendent of Buildings Michael Filippon, Police Commissioner Ernest Cipullo and Dept. of Public Works Director Robert Mangan.

On Saturday morning, trustees listened to Fire Chief John Casey and Fire Captain Harry Frank, Garden City Public Library Director Alan Roeckel and chair of the Library Board of Trustees J. Randolph Colahan, and Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs Kevin Ocker.

At times, questions from trustees and the Citizen Budget Review Committee (CBRC) initiated noteworthy discussions. Roy Ryniker, chairman of the CBRC, questioned why Garden City needs a paid fire department with a budget of nearly $6 million when other villages like Rockville Centre do not have a paid department and have an operating budget totaling $600,000.

Fire Captain Harry Frank said that a paid department offers Garden City residents more personal service and a quick response time of two to two-and-a-half minutes. Capt. Casey said that even though he does not have actual statistics, he thinks the department has the fastest response time in Nassau County. Volunteer departments have a response time of 10 to 15 minutes. Capt. Frank will look further into the issue of paid departments vs. volunteer departments. Trustee Thomas Lamberti said that an outside expert would be needed to restructure the department.

During the presentation by Kevin Ocker, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, Deputy Mayor and Trustee Peter Bee raised the issue of services provided to senior citizens. Mayor Gerard Lundquist suggested that a targeted survey be mailed to gauge senior needs and wants. Trustees Thomas Lamberti and Donald Brudie said they would like to see a park area on the field at St. Paul's. Ocker said he would raise the issue, which had been considered in the past, with the Recreation Commission.

Trustee Lamberti also suggested that the Village reclaim the cottages currently being leased by Cathedral Nursery School. He recommended the buildings be used for meetings rooms or a youth center. The discussion ended when it was decided that it was not a budget issue.

Ocker asked the Board to allocate planning money in the budget so his department can study the possibility of an indoor sports complex. He said he would consider two locations for the complex: the property at Clinton and Ring Road or the land south of Community Park. He said the complex, which would contain playing fields and perhaps other recreational facilities and courts, would operate as an enterprise fund. He estimated annual net revenue to total approximately $406,974.

Although the study sessions were open to the public, they were poorly attended. This year the formal public presentation of capital and preliminary operating budgets will be held on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Garden City Public Library. All residents are encouraged to attend.