The Village of Manorhaven trustees approved the 2016-2017 budget at last Wednesday’s meeting, which calls for an equal amount in revenue and in spending.
The budget was approved for $3,848,522, which leaves little room for capital projects, Manorhaven Village Mayor Giovanna Giunta said.
“This is an extremely lean budget,” Giunta said at the budget hearing on March 30 at village hall.
“We’ve cut from almost every line, and we’ve really tightened our belts,” Manorhaven Village clerk Leslie Gross said. “But we do want to do the things that governments are supposed to do, [such as] plow the snow, fill potholes, take care of our roads, take care of waterfront.”
Fire Department expenses for the 2016-2017 approved budget is $453,000, and for street maintenance is $371,500.
“I looked at the budget here and have the budget is basically sewer, fire department and garbage,” said Manorhaven village resident Ken Kraft. “We don’t have a lot to work with.”
The budget includes employment for a full-time building superintendent, which Gross said the village hasn’t been able to fill for four years, and a part-time code enforcer.
“We’re increasing the line in trying to get a full-time building superintendent and increasing the line for code enforcement. Trying to get at least another part-time code enforcer,” Gross said. “There are a very few other lines that have gone up, other than records management one of the things that are so important in government is to keep good records and to be able to find them not only find them but to share them with the public.”
Trustees said full-time building superintendent position would pay between $50,000 – $65,000 depending on experience and also benefit costs.
“We’re not saying we’re necessarily going to spend that much, but up to that much,” Gross said.
Currently the village has hired a part-time building superintendent, but Gross said position would be eliminated once a full-time worker in employed.
Code enforcement would increase by $25,000 to include a part-time job and a raise for full-time code enforcement officer Kareem Buckley.
The budget also calls for an increase in property taxes by $64,253 to a total of $2,979,986 that is within the tax cap Gross said.
The approved budget also calls for $60,000 in rental registration fees, which is $200,000 less than last year.
Giunta said the village did not receive income from rental registration the fiscal year.
“Each year we would receive in the amount of $266,000, which we have at our disposal every other year, but not this coming year,” Giunta said.
Giunta said the village expects to have a $261,000 surplus for the coming year and would like to save that money for capital projects and to maintain good credit rating.
“This is an important buffer,” Giunta said. “We have cut almost all expense lines, and as you know our roads are in need of repair.”
“This is a very very tight budget, and understanding importance of keeping money in a surplus so that we keep our credit rating up and that if we do need to borrow money for some type of project that our credit rating allows that,” Gross said.
