North Hempstead revision adds $13G to proposed $102.75M budget

North Hempstead has presented a revised $102.75 million budget for 2017, though it has yet to release estimates for taxes on the average household.

The town board voted 7-0 Tuesday in favor of the preliminary budget, which would raise the tax levy by 1.7 percent but remains within the state tax cap. The final vote will be held Nov. 1.

Town officials said they could not share tax estimates because of roughly $2.2 million worth of LIPA PILOTs, or payments in lieu of taxes, that will affect the tax base. North Hempstead is among a slim minority of towns on Long Island that have yet to make this information public.

For the budget’s first draft, the town cited a 1.7 percent tax levy increase, but town spokeswoman Carole Trottere said the figure could not be updated because of the payments in lieu of taxes. Trottere added that the town expects expenditures to remain flat.

The budget also includes $24.23 million for the 20 town-operated special districts, which cover services such as lighting and water. This marks a 2 percent increase from the $23.66 million allocated last year.

For 2017, the town proposes a $67.34 million general fund and $35.41 million for the town outside village fund, which serves residents who live beyond the bounds of the town’s incorporated villages. The town increased the budget by about $13,000 from the initial draft presented earlier this month.

Bosworth said her administration “continues to work to find ways to deliver all-important services while staying under tax cap spending.” The state tax cap is 0.68 percent.

There are several shifts proposed for 2017, including moving the security division from the Public Safety Department to the Parks and Recreation Department. The town’s preliminary budget calls for $865,637 for the security division.

The Finance Department will also now include purchasing, a move that involves six new positions, and more than doubles the budget from $205,000 last year to $437,026 this year. The net head count remains the same, because these positions were transferred from other departments, said Deputy Supervisor Aline Khatchadourian.

The budget includes a 1.25 percent step raise for union members and a total of $300,686 is budgeted, said Trottere. Nonunion employees will also receive a 1.25 percent step raise, but the town did not have a total amount of budgeted raises.