North Hempstead releases 2017 tentative budget

The Town of North Hempstead last week released its 2017 tentative budget, which calls for $126.7 million in spending, less than a one percent increase from last year’s $126.2 million budget, and remains under the state-mandated 0.68 percent tax cap.
“This budget is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work by our comptroller’s department, my senior staff and our commissioners who together crafted a budget which stayed under the very challenging tax cap,” Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said. “I have asked each town commissioner to reduce expenses, to institute tight controls on costs and new hires.”
“I am committed to continuing to provide town residents with the services they deserve,” Bosworth added.
The budget includes a $67.2 million General Fund, a $35.4 million Town outside Village Fund, and $24 million for the 20 town-operated special districts.
The General Fund covers residents across the town, both within incorporated villages and unincorporated areas. The Town outside Village Fund accounts for those who live or own property outside the borders of the town’s incorporated villages and goes towards departments that handle road maintenance, snow plowing, code enforcement, building safety and inspection, and community planning.
There are 43 special districts in the town,    20  operated by the town and 23 with independently elected governing boards. Each special district with an independently elected  board has its own budget, subject to approval by the Town Council.
The $67.2 million for the General Fund represents an increase of about $140,000 in spending over 2015’s $67.1 million. The General Fund calls for $24.6 million of the $67.1 million in spending to be raised by taxes — down from 2016’s $24.9 million.
The Town outside Village Fund calls for $35.4 million in spending, an increase of about $400,000 over 2016.
Of the $35.4 million, $25.8 million will be raised by taxes, a decrease of about $1.3 million over 2016.
The 20 town-operated special districts include fire protection districts in Albertson, Carle Place, Floral Park, Glenwood, Great Neck, Port Washington, and Roslyn, garbage districts in Albertson-Searingtown-Herricks, Great Neck, Manhasset, New Cassel, New Hyde Park-Garden City Park, and Floral Park Centre, which also serves as a lighting district, park districts in Harbor Hills, Manhasset Bay, Clinton G. Martin and Levitt Park at Roslyn Heights, Port Washington Public Parking, the Sidewalk District, and the Great Neck Water District.
The other 23 are run by independently elected boards, each headed by a commissioner.
They include the Port Washington Business Improvement District, fire districts in Garden City Park, Manhasset-Lakeville, New Hyde Park, and Westbury, garbage districts in Carle Place, Glenwood, Port Washington and Roslyn, the Shelter Rock and Gold Coast library districts, the Carle Place Library Funding District, park districts in Great Neck and Manhasset, the Port Washington Police District, the Belgrave, Great Neck, and Port Washington Water Pollution Control Districts, and water districts in Albertson, Carle Place, Garden City Park, Glenwood, Manhasset-Lakeville, Port Washington, Roslyn and Westbury.
The town board will hold budget hearings on Oct. 13 and Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. for public comment, as well as a budget work session on Oct. 7 at 10 a.m.
The board is scheduled to vote to finalize the tentative budget on Nov. 1.