Asharoken may see taxes rise 3%

Taxes for Asharoken property owners are set to go up by nearly 3 percent under the village's recommended budget, discussed briefly at Monday night's board of trustees meeting.

Village of Asharoken trustees had no questions or recommendations for changes to the village's recommended 2011-12 budget, which weighs in at $1,947,523 -- a 2.43 percent increase over the previous year's budget.

Village officials attributed the budget increases to the village's police contract as well as several state-mandated retirement and health-care costs. The budget also includes $61,500 in contingency funds for the dock that will be built for the village's new police boat, which it acquired last December.

The village's Police Department takes up more than half of the village's budget, at $1,074,084.

The budget was first presented at the board's March 7 meeting. If the budget passes as is, the average Asharoken resident will see a tax increase of about $90. The trustees are scheduled to vote on the budget at their April 4 meeting.