Smithtown budget sees speedy passage

How long does it take to approve a $99.4-million budget? In Smithtown, about 11 minutes.

After opening the floor to public input Thursday night, the Smithtown town board quickly passed Supervisor Patrick Vecchio’s fiscal plan for 2011.

The plan, which will not raise taxes for residents, uses about $5 million in reserve funds to offset $3.3 million in spending increases, including pensions and health care costs, as well as a $300,000 loss of tax revenue because of reassessment, Vecchio said.

The town plans to bond out about $2 million in mandatory capital projects, although that will be discussed at a different meeting. Proposed general fund taxes will decrease by about $31 for the average home assessed at $6,000, essentially balanced by a similar rise in highway fund taxes.

Savings were also found by not filling jobs and delaying promotions, Vecchio said at the time he released the budget, but some town officials are warning that further cuts to an already lean staff could have repercussions for the residents in the way of reduced services.