The town of Southold will hold public hearings on the preliminary budget and capital budget for 2015 next week.
The hearings will be held at Town Hall at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5.
Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell unveiled his tentative $42.8 million earlier this month — which provides for the hiring of eight new police officers, he said.
The budget reflects an increase of 1.36 percent over fiscal year 2014, and will result in a tax increase of 1.45 percent, Russell said.
In addition, the supervisor said the budget “exceeds the town board adopted policy of maintaining a fund balance equal to or greater than 10 percent. This budget leaves about 15 percent.”
The budget, Russell said, “will present challenges to the Southold town board. No doubt, hard choices will need to be made. No budget is an isolated document and the decisions we need to make over the next few weeks will not just impact the budget for 2015 but will also impact budgets for subsequent years. The budget I am submitting addresses the town’s general needs for next year while adhering to the adopted policies of the past that have served this town well.”
Reflecting on the big picture, the supervisor added, “The financial outlook for Southold Town in 2015 is good. Southold’s fund balance is healthy. Revenue from all sources has not increased and this budget does not contain unrealistic projections.”
The supervisor said the allocations he has proposed “are reasonable and provide adequate resources for maintaining services. This budget also provides funds to ensure that the staffing needs of each department are met.”
Russell said that while the town’s current debt service is “manageable,” he cautioned the board that “all future capital projects and capital purchases should be made only after thorough vetting. Fixed costs of debt service can substantially limit the discretionary spending of future boards and could make it very difficult to comply with New York State’s two percent tax cap legislation. No future bonding should be executed until capital plans for infrastructure, building assets and equipment are completed.”
Aside from the proposed photovoltaic solar array proposed for the landfill, Russell also said there is a need to identify revenue generators to reduce the tax burden moving forward.
The new budget would allow for six police officers to be hired immediately and two others, after two retire.
Other key features, Russell said, include a “significant appropriation for land purchases” to the tune of $6.9 million. “The funds used to acquire these properties are from a dedicated account that can be used only for preservation,” he said. “Our preservation fund is well financed and we need to stay assertive in our preservation efforts.”
Russell said the tentative budget includes all mandated expenditures such as obligations to the New York State Pension Systems and the New York State payroll tax and “does not rely on any one shot revenue sources, estimates all revenue on historical analysis and performance, and assumes there will be no appreciable increases.”
The budget also allows for salary increases for Russell and the town board. In 2014, the supervisor’s salary was $100,857, and the tentative salary for 2015 for Russell would be $102,370. In 2014, town board members were paid $33,218, which would be bumped up to $33,716 under the tentative budget for 2015. The amount proposed would be a 1.5 percent increase. “Every time an increase for elected officials is proposed, there will be people who criticize the raises,” he said. “I believe that the raises are appropriate.”
The supervisor thanked Town Comptroller John Cushman and Assistant Town Comptroller Connie Solomon for their “tireless efforts and commitment to excellence.” Russell added that the fund balance of the general operating fund “is healthy. In addition, I do not rely on bonding or borrowed money to fund the operations of the town. Other than large capital purchases, if we can’t afford it, we can’t buy it.”
At a later work session, some additional requests were included into the budget, including funding for justice court safety upgrades and a program at Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue.
For additional information, the public is asked to contact the supervisor’s office at 631-765-1889.
