By Stephanie Petrellese

The Garden City Board of Trustees has decided on a budget which calls for the average Village homeowner to pay an additional $302 in Village taxes, after holding another tense budget work session on March 18th.

The budget for 2009-10 totals $52,779,567. In comparison, last year the approved budget totaled $55,268,644 and cost the average homeowner in the Village an additional $171.36 in taxes. A more precise way for residents to determine their exact tax increase is to multiply their tax bills from last year by 5.91, which is this year's proposed tax rate increase percentage.

"I want to tell you all that where we have ended up I think is something that is very reasonable and very appropriate after a lot of hard work and a lot of effort," said Deputy Mayor John Mauk, who is chairperson of the Board's finance committee, at a Board of Trustees meeting held the next evening.

Trustees once again discussed a list of recommendations prepared by Village Auditor James Olivo which detailed proposed expense reductions and revenue enhancements to the 2009-10 budget to achieve tax increases of eight, six, four and zero percent. However, unlike at the other meetings where these items were debated, at this work session the debate was followed by a consensus vote. The budget will be officially adopted on April 6th after a public hearing at Village Hall.

Budget Cuts

To achieve a six percent tax increase, 10 Village staff positions will remain vacant. In addition, a hiring freeze has been implemented and all salaries are being reviewed.

Four currently vacant police officer positions will not be filled for a total savings of $338,296, or $84,574 each. Overtime will continue, thereby presumably eliminating the need to reduce the number of posts.

In the fire department, two firefighter positions will not be filled, for a combined savings of $162,761. Currently, there are 29 paid firefighters, five lieutenants and one captain. If the proposed budget is approved, the number of firefighters would be capped at 27. This will mean there will be six firefighters on duty instead of seven during the week and five at night. On weekends, five firefighters will work during the day and at night instead of six.

Overtime will be substantially reduced in a budget that calls for an eight percent tax increase. In the fire department, overtime will be cut from $287,326 to $107,848.

It is possible the engine at Headquarters will not be able to respond due to this reduction in career personnel. This fire engine normally responds to fire calls, along with engines from the two other fire houses.

Residents will also see response time increase. The current response time is two minutes and 30 seconds to three minutes. Fire Captain Gil Frank, commanding officer, Headquarters Company, estimated the time will increase by a possible additional two minutes and 30 seconds.

According to Trustee Nicholas Episcopia, who is liaison to the fire department, Fire Chief James Meehan, who is the head of the volunteer fire chiefs, told him that he would try to staff the firehouses with as many volunteers as possible to fill in the holes on weekends. Meehan's term ends in April and William Graham is running in an uncontested election to fill his position.

"Reducing the current staffing level of career personnel with no guaranteed increase in available numbers from the volunteer force leaves a hole in our fire protection," said Fire Captain Gil Frank at the meeting of the Board of Trustees, which was held the next evening. "I find that unacceptable. Public safety should not be compromised due to a cost-cutting measure." He asked the trustees to reconsider.

Seasonal employees from the Recreation Dept. and part-time employees in the Dept. of Public Works will be eliminated, saving the Village $194,925.

The Main Building at St. Paul's will no longer be heated, saving the Village $122,483. Trustee Donald Brudie wanted the money to remain, and said that he also spoke for Trustee John Watras, who was unable to attend the meeting. Trustee-elect Andrew Cavanaugh, a preservationist, also wanted the building's heat to continue, while calling on the Board and residents to come up with a "practicable and achievable plan" to save the building.

However, the majority of trustee-elects and trustees agreed that the money should be pulled from the budget. Mayor Peter A. Bee reminded the public and Board that when heating stops, mold will likely increase. This will mean the cost of demolition may rise. Village Administrator Robert Schoelle, Jr. said it is not possible to determine how quickly the mold will grow once heating is terminated, but both mold and asbestos will be required to be abated if the building is eventually torn down.

When it comes to the Village's capital program, trustees were very hesitant to eliminate all projects. For example, a proposal to reduce the money allocated for road repairs from $565,000 to $170,000 was voted down in a 6 to 4 vote. Mayor-elect Robert Rothschild said one reason that makes Garden City so special is because "we take care of our infrastructure." The majority of sanitary sewer inspections would be deferred, saving $150,000.

Revenue Enhancements

Most of the recommended revenue enhancements were accepted, which are expected to add more than $800,000 to Village coffers. Many of these fees will need to be officially implemented by the Board of Trustees by amending the Village code.

A controversial proposal to institute a $30 per game fee for field usage was unanimously voted down. Kevin E. Ocker, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, had estimated this would generate $52,980. Applause from a large group of residents who attended the work session to show their opposition to the fee followed the Board's decision.

Trustees debated a proposed annual $1,500 fee for the 191 Dumpsters being used by commercial establishments in the Village to generate $286,500. Trustee Thomas Lamberti suggested the fee be set at $2,000. He said it would be fair to add this fee since the commercial tax base is considerably lower than the residential base. Some trustees believed that $2,000 was too high and would cause more businesses to either use regular sanitation methods or hire a private sanitation carter. The vote, which included the three trustee-elects, resulted in a 5-5 tie. It was generally agreed that a fee will be implemented; the amount of the fee will be determined at a future meeting.

As reported in last week's issue of the Garden City News, in the fire department, $55,000 would be generated by creating a billing rate for Long Island Rail Road and National Grid emergencies of $500 for the first hour and $125 for each additional .25 hour.

In the police department, a $100 service fee would be implemented for a police impound. False alarm violators will receive a $50 fine if there are three within six months. There will also be an annual $75 fee for residents and $100 for businesses to have an alarm.

The Building Dept. and the various boards including the Board of Appeals, Architectural Design Review Board and the Planning Commission, will all increase fees.

In the Dept. of Public Works, a utility permit fee will be implemented and a sidewalk permit fee will be increased. Water and sewer connections and usage fees will also see an increase. A $230 meter installation fee is also proposed to be added.

License and permit fees in the Recreation Dept. will also increase. Those residents who park at the LIRR station will have to hand over an additional $50 for a permit, as the cost will now increase from $100 to $150. Some of the trustees were against raising the fee, and Trustee Nicholas Episcopia proposed a $25 increase instead of $50.

A $150 parking permit fee will be added for the permit spaces in municipal parking field 5, which is located behind the medical center at 520 Franklin Avenue. Permit fees will not be added for the spaces in the parking field at Fair Court, which is located on the corner of Old Country Road and Washington Avenue.

The garage sale permit fee will increase from $10 to $25, outdoor dining permits will double from $100 to $200, and block party permits will also be doubled, from $25 to $50.