Mineola Village Board Adopts 2013-14 Budget

Mineola residents’ village taxes will once more be a bit lower than originally expected this upcoming year after the village board approved a lower increase than originally anticipated.

The increase handed down at the April 10 meeting of the village board came in at a .74 percent hike, or a 1.15 percent hike in levy. The increase would be 2.87 percent for commercial property owners.

An analysis of the board members’ tax bill would result in an increase of $8-$12 a year.

“I know that every dime counts, trust me, I know that,” Mayor Scott Strauss said. “But this is a solid budget, minimal impact to the residents yet we’re increasing... our road repaving lines, we’re increasing our curb repair lines, we’re increasing tree planting lines, we’re buying equipment, all of that we’re able to do with only the three-quarters, less than three-quarters of a percent increase.”

The tentative budget as of the April 2 meeting of the village board indicated a budget-to-budget increase of one percent, or about $132,000. The total of the 2012-13 village budget was about $18.86 million. The 2011-12 budgeted totaled $18.55 million, while the 2010-11 budget was only about $600,000 less at $17,904,868. The total tax levy on the village for 2013-14 will be approximately $13.28 million.

The village board had unanimously authorized an override of the state’s tax levy cap, citing the unknowns facing the village in terms of contributions toward state funds and other rising costs. This is the third time that the Mineola Village Board has passed the measure.

“It’s a safety net for us,” Strauss said. “It allows us some flexibilities should we need them and allows us the ability to fully control our budget.”

At .74 percent, the budget increase is below the 2 percent cap.

At its April 3 meeting, the board voted to approve a series of tax certiorari refunds in advance, drawing the funds from the village’s unreserve fund balance for the 2012-13 fiscal year. The village ended its fiscal year under budget with respect to property tax certiorari refunds and it took that money and placed it into the road maintenance line, increasing it by about $250,000 and the curb line by about $50,000. The village had also adopted a pay-as-you-go program for refund of overpaid taxes and undertook a total reassessment of all properties in the village. This year the budget contains a refund amount of $450,000.

The total amounts of spending by budgetary category is as follows:

• General government: $4,084,884
• Public safety: $1,703,147
• Health: $89,000
• Transportation: $2,537,302
• Culture and recreation: $431,009
• Home and community services: $2,347,836
• Employee benefits: $3,837,000
• Debt service: $1,278,835
• Water fund: $2,618,402
• Swimming pool: $701,966
• Library fund: $2,130,212
• Total amount of expenditures: $21,718,808