Glen Cove approves budget

The Glen Cove City Council approved a 2012 budget after adding slight increases to spending, anticipated revenue and the tax rate included in the document initially submitted by the mayor.

The budget totals $46.64 million, up 0.8 percent from 2011.

The residential tax rate increases 0.58 percent to $0.635 per $100 of assessed value. The owner of the average house assessed at $467,000 would pay $17.04 in additional taxes.

Mayor Ralph Suozzi said the final budget, approved Tuesday night, was increased to cover higher payouts for successful appeals of property assessments, from $100,000 to $360,000. The state comptroller's office had said the $100,000 included in the proposed budget for that expense was insufficient. The budget partially offsets that increase with higher anticipated revenue, including sales and mortgage taxes.

Suozzi has said the city would be saving $750,000 in debt service next year by shrinking the outstanding debt by borrowing less. Debt service will drop from 21 percent of the budget to 19 percent next year.

Suozzi's Republican opponent in next month's election, Paul Meli, said Wednesday that "the 2012 budget is not balanced." He said the city's deficit grew last year and this year, and would increase again next year.

Suozzi responded that the city "cut our expenses. The budget is balanced." He said the small increase in spending and taxes reflected mandated increases from the state that Glen Cove has no control over.

The state comptroller's office last week called on the city to devise a long-range financial plan to eliminate a general fund deficit of $5 million.