Southeast Town Board OKs Budget Following Final Debate
By Neal Rentz
The Southeast town board approved the 2018 budget on Nov. 16, but not without a final bout of verbal jousting.
With Councilman Robert Cullen absent, the $16.8 million budget was approved 3-1. Supervisor Tony Hay, Councilwoman Lynne Eckardt and Councilman Edwin Alvarez voted for it and Councilwoman Elizabeth Hudak voted against it.
Hay’s original budget proposal called for an almost 10 percent tax hike. But the final budget approved last week includes a tax levy increase of only about 1.84 percent, which meets the state-mandated tax cap.
The garbage contract, which will cost the town $400,000 more next year, will not be included against the tax cap levy, in turn lowering the overall budget. Instead, that garbage contract, which spiked in price from last year to this year, will be paid through a homeowner’s fee. Town attorney Willis Stephens explained previously because the garbage service will be used through a user fee, it should not count against the tax levy calculation.
The average homeowner will only pay about $3.50 more in town property taxes next year.
Hudak said despite the lower tax increase she could not support the 2018 budget.
“We could have done better,” she said.
The fund balance of $1.9 million is excessive and some of those monies should go back to the taxpayers, Hudak said. The state recommends that municipalities maintain fund balances equal to 10 percent of the total budget and the town would need a fund balance of $1.8 million to meet that figure, she said.
Hudak said she could find as much as $400,000 in savings in next year’s budget by not putting back money into the ledger that was not spent this year without cutting services.
Hay defended the budget and fund balance, noting it was only $96,000 when he first took office as supervisor. Hay said the fund balance only equal to 12 percent of the total budget for next year and was not excessive.
Though he supported the 2018 budget, Alvarez said the board should have sought ways to reduce spending. For example, Alvarez said he had proposed no longer providing benefits to part-time elected officials.
Hudak said she wanted more public input when the board considers the 2019 budget next year. The public should be allowed to provide comments beginning in September, she said.
