Brightwaters mayor Joseph A. McNulty rejects tax increases

Brightwaters Mayor Joseph A. McNulty won’t raise taxes or immediately float bonds to pay for road repairs, he said at a meeting Wednesday night to discuss the village’s proposed 2013-14 budget.

The mayor’s plan appears at odds with the village’s proposed $2.3-million budget, which includes a 21 percent tax increase that still would not offset a projected $200,000 budget deficit, according to a proposal from Village Clerk-Treasurer Christine O’Shea. Both plans are set to be discussed at a budget public hearing Wednesday night at Village Hall.

“There’s no reason that we can’t live within our means,” said McNulty, who could not provide specifics on how he would reconcile the deficit without a tax hike. “I’m against going into debt and I’m against raising the taxes.”

Other board members have joined the mayor in rejecting an immediate tax hike, saying the board should wait until it studies the village’s road repair needs before bonding or raising taxes. The board has approved a measure that would allow it to pierce the state-mandated 2 percent tax cap for the budget due June 1.

“I want to see a really well-written, concise plan,” trustee Tim Cox said.

Trustee Robert W. Fischer said Wednesday a tax hike is “inevitable.”

McNulty said he’s relying on Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program funding, a state reimbursement program that can be used for road projects, to pay for repaving. He said the village has $95,000 in CHIPS funding and is set to receive another $125,000.