Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell filed his tentative budget for fiscal year 2016 with the town clerk’s office today as required by law — and the numbers reflect a proposed tax rate increase of 0.54 percent, with a reduction in spending of 0.7 percent.
This year’s state-mandated tax levy cap is 0.73 percent.
The budget is the tenth for Russell, who has served as supervisor since being elected in 2005 and is running for office in the upcoming election.
The total budget appropriation as proposed is $42,916,748, reflecting the decrease in spending of $300,611.
“Each year my budget message includes recurring themes focusing on traditional challenges presented by each budget,” Russell wrote in his budget message, released today. “The escalating costs of medical insurance, retirement obligations and the general costs associated with providing services makes this, or any budget, a difficult process. However, Southold is in good fiscal shape. It maintains a healthy fund balance and a low debt profile. The town board’s consistency in its approach to each budget and its commitment to adhering to adopted policies has served the community well.”
His proposed budget, Russell said, includes projections based on “historic analysis and does not include unrealistic expectations.”
Russell said he’s certain the board will continue to pursue opportunities for revenue generation including a plan in the works to lease a portion of the town’s capped landfill for a photovoltaic array.
Looking ahead, Russell also said the board will continue to maintain “a low debt profile” not relying upon borrowing to “pay for the costs of doing business.”
Russell has said the board will continue as it has in past years, evaluating appropriations and establishing “reasonable priorities” for spending.
“The continuity of this board has allowed me to produce a budget that not only complies with the New York State tax cap, it will provide reasonable resources for meeting the town’s responsibilities in 2016,” he said.
Key features of the budget include the hiring of one full-time police officer, to fill a vacancy due to retirement.
Russell, as he’s mentioned in past meetings and at Monday’s educational forum on the environment in Cutchogue, has proposed hiring another full-time code enforcement officer to focus on fire codes.
At Monday’s event, Russell also mentioned that, with Special Projects Director Phillip Beltz retiring, he’s looking to establish the position of part-time youth director, so youth programs in town do not “languish” and so other options can be fostered.
In addition, the budget calls for the establishment of a part-time wildlife management coordinator; the supervisor maintains deer are a public health and safety crisis; the deer also are devastating to the environment, he said Monday.
The budget also calls for a $250,000 infrastructure bond to address storm water drainage and flood control; Russell said at Monday’s forum that while improvements have been made, there’s work still be done, and he’d like to seek green alternatives at road endings to mitigate impacts of runoff in the town’s waterways.
The supervisor will present his budget at a special town board meeting Friday at 9:30 a.m. at Town Hall.
