The Village of Russell Gardens Board of Trustees voted Thursday to approve a $1,940,259 budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year – a $264,000 increase over the current year that Mayor Steven Kirschner said was mostly due to the village’s decision to refurbish its tennis courts.
“I try to overestimate expenses and underestimate income, that way we make sure we don’t come up short,” Kirschner said. We don’t want to be running around in February 2016 run out of money.”
The budget for the coming year – which will begin March 1 – calls for a total of $1,940,259 in revenue and spending, compared to $1,675,296 in the 2014-2015 budget.
The revenue includes a $150,000 state grant for the tennis court improvements and a $50,000 grant for a shed on Vivian Lane, according to the budget.
“[The increase] is all about resurfacing the court,” Kirschner said. “On the income side we’re hopeful and expecting to get a $150,000 grant toward the $220,000” projected to be spent on tennis court refurbishment.
Kirschner said in December that the village decided to spend the $220,000 to refurbish the courts, located on Wensley Drive, because people will want to use the courts more if they look better.
Kirschner said the project will be an extensive overhaul of the tennis courts, including a new drainage system, sprinkler system and fencing. He said the courts have not been maintained as they should have been for 30 to 40 years.
The village voted to purchase the courts in 2013 from Russell Gardens Association, a homeowners group.
Kirschner said that the total amount of money the village is collecting from real estate taxes will be the same as last year, and that 99 percent of people will pay the same amount of taxes to the village.
Some expenses have been lowered in this year’s budget, including the amount the village would pay for legal counsel – this year’s budget calls for $15,000, and the 2014-2015 budget called for $25,000. Kirschner said this also related to what the village is doing with tennis court renovation.
“Last year we had a tremendous amount of legal expenses negotiating with the [Russell Gardens] Association” Kirschner said. “There was a lot more legal work. We don’t anticipate having to do that anymore.”
One of the significant increases though in spending comes in property purchases. This year, the village budgeted to spend $325,000 in this year’s budget, and $300,000 in last year’s, but In the 2013-2014 budget, the village only spent $21,600.
Kirschner said the purchase price of the tennis courts and the section of the park the village obtained was $925,000. The village paid an initial $10,000 deposit, but the plan was to make three payments over the course of three years.
Kirschner said the village made the first of three payments last year. This year’s payment will be the second.
