Featured Story

Fire Commission budget would lower taxes

102015_fire_budget_web_jal

The Shelter Island Fire Commission will hold a public hearing on its proposed budget at the Center Firehouse tonight, Tuesday, at 7 p.m.This is an opportunity for the public to comment on a spending plan that would reduce the tax rate by 3 percent in 2016 from what property owners paid to support the current spending plan.

It would raise $827,094 from property taxes to support a total spending plan of $861,592.

Spending would increase by 0.93 percent, but that’s offset by a 4 percent wider tax base in 2016, enabling the Fire Commissioners to put forth a budget that is $477 less than would be allowed under the state-mandated tax cap.

If commissioners adopt the budget as drafted, a homeowner whose property is assessed at a median value of $694,400 would pay $183.91 next year to support the fire district. That’s $5.38 less than those homeowners paid to support the current budget.

Homeowners with a $1 million property assessment would pay $264.85 or $7.75 less than they paid this year.

[email protected]