Lindenhurst OKs $11M budget with tax hike

The Village of Lindenhurst has approved an $11 million budget that calls for a tax hike.

The village, hard-hit by superstorm Sandy, approved the budget following a public hearing on Tuesday night. The budget, for the fiscal year beginning March 1, comes with a 2.7 percent increase over the current year, going from $10.87 million to $11.17 million.

The budget raises the tax rate by 3.48 percent, which translates to an increase of 49 cents per $100 of assessed home value. For the average home assessed at $4,500, taxes will rise by $22.05, Village Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Cullinane said. The sanitation fee will remain $202 per one-family home.

The budget pierces the state tax cap, which is 2.06 percent for the village, and raises the tax levy 2.65 percent, from $7.71 million to $7.91 million.

Cullinane said that the hike is due to continued increases in pension and health care costs. Pension fund costs are due to increase 2.94 percent this year to $350,000. Medical insurance costs are estimated to increase 10.37 percent to $1.44 million.