N. Hempstead passes $133M budget as councilwoman protests slight tax hike

The North Hempstead Town Board passed a 2019 budget that includes no layoffs, maintains current services and stays below the state-mandated tax cap, but tax increases that one councilwoman said are unnecessary prompted the sole dissenting vote on the $133.3 million spending plan.

The budget was approved 6-1 and is a 2.9 percent increase over the current spending plan. It allocates $68.6 million to the town's general fund, $37 million to the town outside village fund and $27.7 million for the town's 20 special districts.

The budget increases the general fund tax levy by 2.16 percent, or $9.43 for the average property owner, and increases the outside village fund by 3.18 percent, or $22.14 for the average homeowner.  The state tax levy cap is set at 2 percent for 2019, but other factors, including inflation, allow the levy to be slightly over the cap.

Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio  said she voted no Thursday on the budget for two reasons. First, De Giorgio said she asked the finance department for the net increase the town will receive for employee health benefits and was given three different numbers.

"Some things might change in a budget, but those numbers should be the same from the first budget we [town council members] get to the last budget we get," she said.

Second, De Giorgio said a majority of the money generated from tax increases will fund raises for politically appointed town staffers, which she said conflicts with the spirit and intent of the state tax cap.

"The goal should not be to raise taxes up to the cap," she said. "It should be to have no tax increase, and I don't see why we couldn't have done that."

The town council approved budgets for 19 of the 20 special districts. Members couldn't vote on the Roslyn Garbage District because the district's governing board may need to pierce the state tax cap, said Supervisor Judi Bosworth. 

"There was apparently some mistake that was uncovered and they now need to go to their board and get approval," she said. 

The board unanimously passed its $17.27 million Solid Waste Management Authority budget for 2019.