Saltaire Village's tentative budget increase could pierce NY tax cap
The Saltaire Village Hall & Post Office on Fire Island is pictured on April 5, 2018. Credit: Newsday/Rachelle Blidner
Saltaire Village officials have unveiled a tentative budget that would increase spending by about 8 percent and potentially pierce the state tax cap.
The tentative $3.9 million budget would increase spending by nearly $300,000 for the Fire Island village of 400 homes, according to the document.
“There is still a lot of work to do on the budget, but I am fairly certain that we will pierce the tax cap this year,” clerk/administrator Mario Posillico said in an email.
The board voted this month to pre-emptively pierce the 2-percent tax cap, a move officials have taken every year since 2011 without utilizing it before, officials have said.
Officials expect to outspend the current year’s appropriations by about $135,000 and project a deficit of about $245,000, according to the budget.
For 2019-2020, costs would increase for several departments, including recreation, docks and beaches, according to the budget.
Salaries would increase by 6.6 percent, from about $1.3 million to more than $1.4 million, according to the budget. The department of the clerk and administrator would get a $50,000 increase to possibly add a new full-time employee, Posillico said.
The board will host a budget workshop on March 13 and a public hearing on April 10.
Correction: A previous version incorrectly stated the recipient of the clerk department's raise.
Rachelle Blidner covers Suffolk County government, politics and breaking news.
