The Village of East Hills recently adopted a $15.2 million budget, which will not result in a village tax increase for the 15th consecutive year.
The budget is approximately $200,000 higher than the previous year’s, with the village increasing spending on employee benefits, garbage collection, road pavement, and parks and recreation.
“Fifteen years without tax increases no doubt sets a record among all surrounding municipalities,” Village of East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz said in a statement. “The continued passage of our budget without a tax increase required considerable constraint without sacrificing any services to our residents.”
Koblenz said the village has been able to keep village taxes the same, which make up around 16-17% of all taxes paid by village residents, due in part to residents volunteering for their work on village committees.
“This budget ensures the finest services and facilities will be continued in East Hills,” Koblenz said.
Among the services seeing increased funding are street maintenance, whose budget will rise by nearly $300,000 from the last full fiscal year, allowing the village to purchase new equipment. The village will also be spending $1 million from the state’s local street and highway improvement program to repave roads to prevent further damage from future winter storms, Koblenz said.
East Hills’ parks and recreation budget will also increase by around $450,000 from the last fiscal year, allowing the village to allocate more resources to maintaining and repairing green spaces and monitoring trees at risk of falling onto streets or structures.
Koblenz also said the budget enables the village to continue its special pick-up program, which operates from March through October and allows residents to discard bulky items.
“Fifteen years without tax increases no doubt sets a record among all surrounding municipalities,” Koblenz said. “The continued passage of our budget without a tax increase required considerable constraint without sacrificing any services to our residents.”
