The North Hempstead Town Board passed a $135 million 2020 budget last Wednesday in spite of a “no” vote from one of its members.
The general tax levy will increase by 1.2%, an average of $6.31 per household, according to the comptroller’s office, and the outside village fund levy will increase by 0.39%, an average of $6.93 per household.
Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio of Port Washington was the only member of the board to vote against the budget, with council members Angelo Ferrara, Veronica Lurvey, Viviana Russell and Peter Zuckerman, in addition to Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth, voting for it. Councilwoman Lee Seeman was not present.
De Giorgio, who also voted against the budgets proposed for the special districts, did not respond to calls for comment.
Before polling the members of the board, Bosworth opened the meeting by noting that the vote had taken place before Election Day.
“This keeps with the commitment to open, transparent government and lays out how our tax dollars are being utilized,” Bosworth said. “This year’s budget continues the fiscally conservative practices while continuing to deliver essential services to our residents.”
According to charts provided by the town, the largest share of taxes will go to the Department of Parks and Recreation, which makes up 26% of the adopted budget. The second largest share, 22%, will pay for the town’s debts, and the third largest, 18%, will go to the Department of Human Resources.
