East Hills budget keeps property taxes flat

The Village of East Hills has adopted a $11.2 million spending plan for 2012-13 that holds the line on property taxes for the second year in a row.

East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz said in his budget message that despite increasing health care and labor costs and “unfunded mandates” such as cleaning Glen Cove Road, “We are adding services and avoiding a tax increase for our residents.”

Spending will increase by 2.59 percent over the current fiscal year.

Koblenz said the village stayed under the state tax levy cap in part by refinancing bonds to save $1.5 million over the lifetime of the bonds and kept salary increases from exceeding cost of living increases. East Hills also will save $700,000 by requiring that a road be repaved by a commercial developer.

The village, which will use about $2 million from its surplus, will continue projects such as an extensive road resurfacing program and added one day of recycling pickup services. The village will still have a fund balance of about $4 million.

The budget is posted on the village’s website.

The board of trustees adopted the budget April 16. The village’s fiscal year begins June 1.