Suozzi introduces $57 million budget
Village of Garden City administrator Ralph Suozzi presented a prospective 2015-’16 municipal budget of $57.09 million last week, which represents a 2.34 percent increase over the current $55.8 million budget.
The budget presentation last Saturday morning in Garden City Village Hall was followed by a report on the $2.25 million plan to renovate the village senior center.
Suozzi said the projected budget increase is based on increased funding for legal fees, judgments and claims—including costs related to the fair housing lawsuit in U.S. District Court last year—capital projects and debt service.
He said the 2015-’16 village tax levy would increase 1.68 percent, in line with the state-mandated tax cap and assuring residents with household incomes of $500,000 or less with a tax rebate.
“We will maintain the high level of services which village residents have come to expect and deliver those services in a cost-effective way,” Suozzi told village board members and residents.
The cost of capital projects is expected to increase from $3.9 million in the current budget to $4.78 million in 2015, including the delayed repaving of Hilton Avenue as part of $2 million in road repairs.
“Hilton will be done in the early spring,” Suozzi said. “We can push back a road a year or two, but eventually you have to do it.”
In an ongoing capital project, the village will spend $1.4 million on replacing water meters, which Suozzi said will translate into an immediate increase in revenues because by correcting underestimated village water consumption.
Debt service will rise year-to-year from $1.88 million to $2.1 million, Suozzi said.
A public budget work session is slated for Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. to review budgets for public works, water, administration and legal expenses.
Village financial consultant Irene Woo said salaries and benefits, which comprise 64 percent of the budget, are projected to increase from $35 million to $35.54 million year-to-year.
Woo said 18 percent of the budget would cover police department expenses, with 13 percent for the village building department and 11 percent for the Department of Public Works. She said overall village revenues are expected to increase by 3 percent.
Suozzi said decreased pension costs are expected to offset increases in health and dental insurance for the 268 full-time village employees.
He said the village is no longer contending with the “totally impossible” situation of contending with double-digit percentage growth in pension costs over the past five years while complying with the state tax cap. “That’s all over now,” he said, explaining pension costs had stopped escalating.
Village Auditor James Olivo said the village is currently in contract talks with the police and fire departments and expects the negotiations may conclude in arbitration with both departments. The current Police Benevolent Association contract expired last year and the Professional Firefighters Association expired in 2009.
Suozzi said the village board recently settled contract negotiations on an eight-year deal with 16 CSEA supervisors unit in the Department of Public Works, Parks and Recreation Department and Administration. The previous contract expired five years ago. Talks with the village employees union are expected to commence next month, Suozzi said.
Suozzi said the village should increase funding for job terminations and general reserves to ensure it will retain its current triple A fiscal rating from Moody’s bond rating service.
Suozzi projected a positive outlook for the village’s Enterprise Funds, with the municipal Pool Enterprise expected to earn a $27,000 profit following a projected $33,000 loss in the current fiscal year. The village Tennis Enterprise is expected to earn $26,000 after a projected loss of $18,000 in the current year.
Following the budget introduction, Bob de Bruin, principal of de Bruin Engineering, provided an update on plans to renovate the village senior center on Golf Club Lane at a total cost of $2.25 million, including an interior and exterior makeover of the existing building.
“The entire interiors of the existing senior center will be new,” de Bruin said.
He said the first phase of the renovation cost $439,000, including $175,00 to move the sales office donated from the Doubleday Court property to the senior center site last year.
The remaining $1.5 million for the second phase of the project includes $150,000 for installation of a gabled roof on the building’s new section. An exterior makeover is intended to give the building a uniform appearance.
“The goal is to centralize senior activities in that facility,” said village Trustee Brian Daughney.
After de Bruin’s report, Suozzi said the village board has approved floating a bond of up to $1.5 million to cover most of the renovation costs.
Following his presentation, de Bruin said the village board would issue a request for bids for the remaining work on the project in the next few weeks. He said he anticipated the renovations on the senior center would be completed by the end of the year.
