The Village of Manorhaven Board of Trustees approved a $4.3 million budget for 2017-18 last week, increasing spending by $470,106.
The budget, which calls for $4,318,568 in spending, has a 1.2 percent tax levy increase, below the state tax cap.
The budget calls for spending increases in records management, maintenance to cars and trucks, the building department, street maintenance and sewage projects.
“I am very happy with the budget,” Mayor Jim Avena said. “The trustees, along with our clerk-treasurer, spent about 25 hours discussing it and I think it’s really well thought out.”
The budget allocates $165,000 for construction on Morgan’s Dock along the waterfront of the village, which increased the village’s total spending, but the project is being paid for by a grant.
The construction includes a new dock along the waterfront, which is currently in the final phase.
“It’s going to be a nice place for people to tie up their boats and go to the pool, go to the park and go into town and have dinner at a restaurant,” Avena said. “It will be a really nice, attractive setting.”
The increase in street maintenance spending is also mainly covered by $90,000 from the state Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program.
Avena said street repair and maintenance is a necessity.
The shared services portion of the budget, which covers items like postage, village newsletters and other supplies and materials, increased from $103,000 to $151,500, allocating $20,000 to records management — an item that was not in the previous budget.
With $20,000 in spending allocated for records management, Avena said, the village will continue to digitize its records through microfiche scanning.
He added that the village will also upgrade its computer equipment and software at a budget cost of $17,500.
The budget calls for $82,000 in spending for the superintendent of buildings’ salary, up $12,000 from last year because the previous administration did not hire someone for the position full-time, Avena said.
“I am proud of the staff and happy about the upgrades we’ve made around here,” he said. “Everyone is doing a great job.”
The village also added $25,000 in spending for a part-time code enforcer.
It added $22,000 in spending under building department spending for vehicles.
Fire Department expenses in the budget are $478,000 and expenses for traffic control are $24,000.
Avena said the village will end the current fiscal year with a surplus and hopes to do the same next year.
