Nissequogue officials pass new budget

Village of Nissequogue residents will see their tax bills go up 2 percent for the budget year that starts on June 1.

The board of the small North Shore village -- where Mayor Richard B. Smith and four trustees work for free -- last week passed a $1.7 million budget that increases spending by $18,000.

The village tax levy will go up by $2,000, or 0.18 percent -- well within the state's 2 percent cap on tax levy increases.

Property owners will pay a tax rate of $18.68 per $100 of assessed valuation, up from $18.31 this year. The village, which occupies a 3.6-square-mile section of St. James hamlet in the Town of Smithtown, has a population of about 1,700.

The new budget includes spending increases for the village's police and fire departments, but less money for plowing snow, following a taxpayer-friendly winter that saw only one major snowstorm.

The police budget is going up by 3.4 percent, to $822,263, which includes 2 percent raises for the village's three full-time police officers, Smith said. About 11 part-time officers are not covered by the contract.

Smith said a Suffolk County grant has been secured to replace one of the village's three police vehicles.

In a letter posted on the village website, Smith said spending on the fire department was increased by 17 percent, to $137,500, to buy equipment for 10 new volunteer firefighters.

The snow removal budget was cut by about 11 percent, to $85,000, Smith said.

Trustees had increased the 2011-12 snow removal budget by nearly 27 percent, to $95,000, after two straight winters of heavy snowfall and blizzards.

"We had brought our budget up by $20,000," Smith said. "Inasmuch as we had only one significant cleanup this year, we did reduce the snow removal budget to $85,000 from $95,000."

Smith said a $30,000 surplus will be applied to next year's budget.