Tentative budget is $9.9 million
The Shelter Island Town Board settled on a tentative $9.9 budget for 2015 Friday, with $7.73 million to come from property taxes.
That represents a 5.9 percent increase over the $7.29 million that was raised from taxes to support the current year’s budget.
While detailed numbers aren’t yet posted on the town’s website, it’s clear that Town Board members are giving more to the Highway Department and Public Works than the 1.5 percent increase Supervisor Jim Dougherty had penned into his initial proposal.
On the other hand, Highway Superintendent and Public Works Commissioner Jay Card Jr. isn’t getting the more than 23 percent hike he had sought.
Gone is the approximately $423,300 that Mr. Card and Town Engineer John Cronin had wanted to amass a $1.24 million capital expenditure fund. They had argued the money would bring all town assets up to snuff so they could then get on a regular cycle for future maintenance.
On the other hand, Town Board members increased a number of items Mr. Dougherty had scaled back in Mr. Card’s budget request to bring them in line with actual expenditures in the current year.
Also gone is Mr. Card’s bid for a considerable raise from his $76,500 salary, one that is less than the salaries other highway superintendents in East End towns are earning. Those salaries range from $90,000 to $103,500. Mr. Card had asked for a total of $98,233, but will instead see a 2 percent raise, in line with raises going to other non-union personnel.
While noting that a major salary hike would give Mr. Card more compensation than he earns as supervisor, Mr. Dougherty said he has no objection to that concept. And Councilwoman Chris Lewis said during the budget talks that Shelter Island Town Board members and department managers have greater responsibilities than their counterparts in other municipalities because they don’t have a lot of support staff here.
An easy gentleman’s agreement between Mr. Dougherty and Councilman Ed Brown was reached to take a total of $315,000 out of fund balances to support the 2015 budget, instead of the $370,000 that had been in the supervisor’s original proposal.
The Town Board unanimously approved a resolution Friday making it official that the hike in spending would exceed the state allowed 2 percent tax cap. By law, it takes a 60 percent agreement of the board to break the cap. This is the third successive year that the town budget has been larger than state restrictions.
At the same time, members said they had pared down numbers as much as possible while still responsibly providing money for necessary services.
Ms. Lewis summed it up during one of the last budget hearings, saying, “People don’t want their taxes raised, but I think they want to feel you’re being responsible stewards.”
The public gets to weigh in on the budget at a public hearing set for Wednesday, November 5, at 1 p.m. at Town Hall. The Town Board has until November 20 to make any last minute changes and to formally adopt the budget for 2015.
