Westhampton Beach Village Budget Under 2 Percent

Westhampton Beach Mayor Conrad Teller released the village's proposed 2013-2014 budget on Wednesday, carrying with it a 1.89 percent tax levy increase.

According to Village Clerk Rebecca Molinaro, who acts as the village's chief financial officer, the budget maintains current staffing levels and addresses increases such as pension and health insurance while holding the line on taxes.

"We started out with a draft budget that was higher, but we were able to work with department heads and with some suggestions from trustees we were able to get it down," said Molinaro, who said it is a budget that the village is proud of.

"Especially, since we stayed under the 2 percent tax cap," she said.

The $9,667,168 budget carries a 2.02 percent spending increase in dollars, equating to $192,058.

The village estimates that it will take in an additional 3.49 percent in revenue, bringing the total revenue to $1,273,493. The proposed tax levy is $8,043,675.

A number of budget lines were decreased in the budget, including the beautification budget, the building department and the public works department.

"Everyone got wacked a bit," said Mayor Teller, to which the Superintendent of Public Works Department – John Kearns – joked, "We are going to have to get goats to cut the grass."

A public hearing on the budget, which is attached to this article as a PDF, is scheduled for April 4 at 7 p.m. at Village Hall.

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