Spending Plan Includes No Increase in
Water Rates, Taxes for 5th Consecutive Year
The Hicksville Water District’s Board of Commissioners recently held a public hearing at the William P. Bennett Community Center to present its proposed budget for the 2010 fiscal year.
During the hearing, Commissioner and Chairman Karl Schweitzer, proudly announced that the Hicksville Water District, for the fifth straight year, will be holding the line on taxes and, once again, there will be no increase in water rates.
In preparing this budget, the board carefully reviewed the prior year’s budget, operating expenses incurred, as well as all anticipated projects for 2010. Other factors that went into the consideration and outline of the proposed 2010 budget include the cost to operate wells during LIPA’s peak season (May – September) and the staggered LIPA rates that apply to the water district that increase during the district’s peak season as well. Despite mild summer weather, the excessive rain in June impacted the budget considerations.
“Oftentimes we are criticized for having too much money set in reserve accounts, but the summer we are coming out of is indicative of why we reserve more than the average 10-15 percent of our budget,” said Schweitzer. Water sales make up 40 percent of our budget and when our usage is down, our revenue is down as well. So we must be prudent and provide sound fiscal management, which is exactly what we have been doing for decades.“
The board also discussed the upcoming bonding that the Hicksville Water District has been seeking in an effort to treat well contamination and other projects over the next few years.
After fielding several questions from the audience, Schweitzer thanked those in attendance for coming out and asking the tough, yet important, questions. Following this hearing, the budget will now be adopted at the next regular meeting of the board and shall be presented to both towns in Oyster Bay and Hempstead.
For more information, contact the Hicksville Water District at 4 Dean Street, Hicksville, NY 11801; call 931-0184; or visit www.hicksvillewater.org.
