Huntington restores budget's arts funding

The Huntington Town Board has restored most arts funding cut from its 2012 budget, but refrained from rescinding budget cuts to social-service and youth organizations.

However, Councilman Mark Mayoka, who along with Councilman Mark Cuthbertson voted against restoring the social service cuts at Tuesday's board meeting, said Wednesday he did so only because he felt the resolutions were improperly written. Mayoka said he is rewriting the resolutions, which would have restored 90 percent of the cuts, and plans to sponsor them at the board's February meeting.

"It's not the correct way," Mayoka said of restoring the cuts. "Why would you rescind any part of an adopted budget?"

Councilwoman Susan Berland said Mayoka "could have easily said on the dais, 'I had a problem on the resolution, I had a problem with the word 'rescind.' All I can say is I applaud him if he has seen the light and is going to support these organizations."

The board voted 2-2 on rescinding the social services cuts. A majority is required for a resolution to pass.

Supervisor Frank Petrone said whether the budget is amended or rescinded, he was gratified that the cuts would be taken up again next month.

"The main thing is they're going to be going back on," Petrone said.

The board voted 3-1 to restore about $210,000 to organizations including the Huntington Arts Council, Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum, and historical properties in Huntington, Northport and elsewhere in the town. Cuthbertson voted against the resolution, saying that all agencies needed to sacrifice.

"Now we are saying to our outside agencies, 'You don't have to share in that sacrifice -- we'll restore you across the board,' " Cuthbertson said. "To support this and the two other budget amendments is to support a bait-and-switch budget."

Newly elected Councilman Eugene Cook abstained from voting on any of the restoration measures, saying that he had not been part of the original budget process.

Diana Cherryholmes, director of the Huntington Arts Council, said she was "delighted" the arts funding passed. The cuts to her organization in the 2012 budget, totaling about $110,000, would have meant reducing the number of free concerts in the Huntington Summer Arts Festival from 44 to about a dozen.

The restored funds are coming from an extra $3 million that the town has after health insurance costs, which had been estimated to go up by 18 percent, increased instead by 3 percent.

The town is using about $1 million of that surplus to avoid requiring employees to contribute 10 percent of their health care premium costs, a measure included in the 2012 budget.