From the desk of Mayor Paul Ehrbar: Budget work finished; new garbage plan set

The Island Now

It’s been a busy few weeks. 

The board completed the village budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The board passed a local law a few weeks back allowing for an override of the “2 percent” tax cap as mandated by New York State.  

However, the board was able to complete the Village budget with a 1.96 percent increase. 

While increases are unpopular and frustrating, in order to maintain services  an increase was necessary. 

In actually, the law allowed for an increase of 2.4 percent  in order to be in compliance with the tax cap law. The board worked long and hard scrutinizing all expenditures and potential revenue to establish  the lowest possible budget without impacting services. It will be extremely difficult if not impossible to remain within the tax cap guidelines next year while maintaining our high level of services. 

However, the board will continue to monitor this year’s budget keeping in mind next year’s requirements.

Along these lines, Keith Bunnell, superintendant of public works, and myself, along with input from our sanitation employees, reviewed the various sanitation schedules to see if there could be a savings to the village with modest changes. As a result, a new garbage plan was reviewed and approved by the village board with implementation expected to begin June 4, 2012. 

For full details please pull out the information guide that is to be presented in the next issue of the Village Green, which will be out shortly. 

Major changes deal with “heavy pick up” and recyclables. With the start of the new program heavy pickup up items  can be placed out on the curb on regularly scheduled pickup dates. This will give residents the opportunity to put these items out more frequently(twice per week). 

On holiday weeks, under the outgoing plan, heavy pickup was cancelled on those weeks. That will no longer be the case. Beginning with the new program, recyclables will be put out village wide on Wednesdays. 

However, papers and glass/cans will be on an every other week schedule. It may take residents a few weeks to comply with these changes but overall, the program will be more efficient and at the same time provide cost savings. 

For those who have a large number of recyclables, rather than the traditional small orange cans, large containers of any type can be used to collect these items.  

Again, please read the more detailed instructions in the upcoming Village Green. I ask all to be patient as the plan goes into effect. It will take a little time for residents village wide, to become completely familiar with the new program.  

As you may have read, on March 22 our own Rosemarie Farrar was honored as a Woman of North Hempstead by the Honorable Jon Kaiman, supervisor. 

On behalf of the village board, I congratulate my good friend who is well deserving of this honor.

On March 25 the  Williston Unit  #144 American Legion Auxiliary held  a cocktail party in recognition of their 80th anniversary.  This was an exceptional event enjoyed by many. While it took a committee to put the event together, a special thanks goes to Ruth and Bob Valentine for their efforts in putting the event together.

Our recreation committee has put together their second annual “Williston Park is going to the Ponies.” 

The event,  held at Belmont Raceway is scheduled for Saturday June 2 starting at 2 p.m. The cost is $10 per adult and each child over three.  

Reservations and checks are to be submitted by May 7 to the Village Hall. Checks are to be made out to The Village of Williston Park . For full details or questions go to willistoparkrec@yahoo.com.

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