Mineola trustees OK $19.33M budget

Richard Tedesco

The Village of Mineola Board of Trustees approved a $19.33 million budget for 2014-15 last Wednesday night, which represents a 1.38 percent increase over the current budget of $19.03 million.

The budget calls for a .31 percent increase in the tax levy to $13.30 million, based on final revenue figures calculated by Mineola Village Treasurer Giacomo Ciccone.

“Obviously it’s a favorable budget,” said Village of Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss. “We’re increasing a lot of [budget] lines without increasing the taxes for the residents.”

During the village board’s April 9 budget hearing, Strauss said the village administration budgeted approximately $1 million on road and curb upgrades.  

The largest year-to-year increases called for in spending are for road maintenance, rising from $500,000 to $580,000, and the village’s concrete contract for curb improvements, from $200,000 to $225,000. Money budgeted for street and highway improvements will rise from $196,795 to $218,943.

Water fund costs will rise from $2.61 million to $2.63 million. 

The biggest single increase is projected in health benefits, from $2.15 million to $2.19 million.

The village’s total debt service for principal and interest on bonds will decrease from $1.28 million to $1.06 million.

Costs for the municipal swimming pool are expected to rise from $701,608 to $729,771 while pool revenues are expected to more than make up for the increase with a rise from $697,568 to $729,771.

Costs for the municipal library fund will increase from $2.13 million to $2.15 million. Library fund revenues are projected to increase by the same amounts.

Revenues apart from taxes are projected to rise from $5.75 million to $5.99 million. 

Those revenues include a year-to-year rise in Cablevision and Verizon franchise fees from $335,000 to $400,000 and a state aid increase from $264,145 to $284,130.

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