Village of Flower Hill trustees approved the 2016-17 tentative budget at Monday’s board meeting which calls for $3,566,00 in spending, an increase of 1.08 percent from last year.
The budget includes $547,429 for fire safety services and a reduction in the tax rate to 1.05 percent.
The budget calls for spending for sanitation to increase by $108,6400, up 17.15 percent, which Flower Hill Mayor Elaine Phillips said is due to the terms of a three-year contract.
Phillips said the budget is flat from last year.
Village trustees also held a public hearing to present traffic safety control for Port Washington Boulevard.
Shatzkamer said she and the Mayor met with Senator Martins and the Department of Transportation to discuss ways to slow traffic down on Port Washington Blvd. and Middle Neck Road.
Phillips said the board would like to put up a radar speed sign on the North and South side of Middle Neck Road going along Port Washington Blvd., but that it’s ultimately the Department of Transportation would decide.
“They would be a cantilever pole that would hang over the road and as you’d be driving along if you were going 55 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. speed limit it would flash and say you’re going 55,” Phillips said.
Phillips said the board had put up a radar speed sign to test out the traffic and said that on average there were more than 6,000 motorists a day going over the speed limit on both northbound and southbound on Port Washington Blvd.
“We have seen on Manhasset Road and Stony Town, where signs are now, and when people do see the flashing signs they do slow down,” Phillips said.
Phillips said the cost of the traffic light will cost $62,000 and anticipates the money will come from the state and not from the village budget.
“I think this will be fully funded by the state,” Phillips said. “So we’ll wait until we find to hear that before we proceed.”
Phillips also said she’d like to continue holding public hearings until the board receives enough resident comment before make a decision.
A village of Flower Hill resident Chuck Weiss said that he doesn’t think the traffic sign would make a difference.
“I’m not convinced that the signs are doing a wonderful job,” Weiss said.
He said his neighborhood has three of the signs within 20 feet of each other and people still speed.
“I’m not opposed to it, but speeding is a big problem everywhere.”
Phillips said the best way to reduce the speeding is to enforce it and that the board members will continue to work with the Port Washington Police District.
The board will hold another public hearing about the traffic signs on May 2.
