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MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- The Town Board was able to find additional savings in the 2012 budget adopted Wednesday night that will lower the tax burden on town residents and restore services that were cut in the preliminary budget presented just last week.
The tax cap would have limited a tax levy increase from 2011 by as much as $670,000 or 3.23 percent. Wednesday, the town raised the budget by $589,000, or 2.8 percent.
"The budget being considered by the board tonight is well within the tax cap and doesn't require any override measure in the form of a local law or resolution," said Stephen Altieri, town administrator.
At a Dec. 7 public hearing on the town budget, the board passed a resolution to override the tax levy limit in order to fund services they had cut from the 2012 budget, including three crossing guards in the town.
However, two senior police officers took the retirement incentive plan offered by the town, saving $104,765 in costs for 2012. This reduces the total tax levy to be collected from $21,449,005 to $21,344,240 and frees up space in the budget so that two of the three crossings guard positions have been reinstated in the 2012 budget.
The individual tax payer in both villages will see a $5.60 increase in their property taxes, which is unchanged from last week's preliminary budget. In the unincorporated town, however, residents' tax bill will increase by $266, down significantly from the $351 increase presented to the public last week.
"We've come quite a way since the original submission in October," Altieri said. "And we've even been able to sweeten the pot a little between the preliminary hearing and this evening."
While the town board was able to come under the tax cap for 2012, Altieri said it will be difficult, if not impossible, to do it year after year. In the 2011 town budget, the board removed several positions. And in the last two years, personnel has decreased from 135 to 127, he said.
The town voted on the 2012 proposed town budget and the 2012 proposed Fire District No. 1 budget together. Previously, the board believed they had to vote on them separtely, but the State Comptroller told Altieri Tuesday that they could be voted on together.
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