Town Board Votes 4 to 1 to Pierce Tax Cap, Adopt 2017 Budget

SOUTHOLD, NY — The Southold Town board voted 4 to 1 for $44.1 million 2017 budget that pierces the New York State tax levy cap, with a tax rate increase of 7.63 percent.

Justice Louisa Evans was not present for the vote.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell has said the impact of the tax rate increase will equate to $135 per home.

He added that the budget is whole, and the increase in spending is meant for critically needed roadwork, due to two recent bad winters, as well as a substantial increase in medical costs.

Before voting on the annual and capital budgets, town board members spoke.

Councilman Bill Ruland, who has served on the board for nine years, said this year's budget season had challenges but appropriations must be in place before any work can be done. "It's in the best interest of the Town of Southold that we adopt this," he said.

Councilman Bob Ghosio said he agreed that "an awful lot of work has gone into this. It's a year in which we find ourselves having to raise taxes, perhaps more than we would like to."

The budget process, he said, takes months of discussion and debate.

"Unfortunately, while we've been very good at being fiscally responsible and haven't raised taxes higher than the tax cap for the last few years, and we take pride in that, this year, I understood that we would break the cap."

However, Ghosio said, "I'm very sensitive to those in town who are going to be hurt by this. This . . increase is something they may have to struggle with."

Ghosio referred to residents who attended a recent budget hearing, describing how the tax hike would hit home, especially for seniors on limited budgets.

"I am voting 'no,'" he said, repeating that vote for both the annual and capital spending plans.

Russell said he could appreciate Ghosio's vote and "certainly, his reluctance," and said the entire board was faced with issues while crafting the 2017 budget.

"The idea of complying with the tax cap" this year, he said "is farfetched."

In addition to escalating insurance costs — despite the fact that the town rolled over from a self-funded plan to the New York State Health Insurance Program in recent years, realizing a savings, health costs have spiked from $5.1 million to $6.3 million in a short time.

As for the roads, which have been hit hard by two very rough winters, Russell said the town is "trying to make headway into an issue that needs immediate attention."

The roads, the supervisor said, pose a safety issue.

The bulk of calls to Town Hall from residents, rather than spotlighting deer or helicopters, now center on the poor condition of the roads, he said.

Rather than the alternative, which would mean raising taxes a little each year and piercing the cap similarly, the goal is "to do it all at once. Which is why I am voting 'yes'," Russell said.

Dinizio commended both Russell and Town Comptroller John Cusham on the budget.

Still, Dinizio said, he "hemmed and hawed" all day but said roads need to be resurfaced and police need the planned upgrades in communications equipment. He voted in favor of the budget.

"It comes down to the safety of the people that live in this town," Councilwoman Jill Doherty said, voting "yes."

Roadwork discussion

Before the vote, former Southold Town Highway Superintendent Pete Harris stood at the podium to discuss the road resurfacing — the reason for the tax hike, as well as a surge in insurance costs — and said the roads need attention.

"As much I hate as a taxpayer to see my taxes go up, I understand they have to. I'm glad we are finally taking that step forward," he said.

However, Harris said, when looking at current Highway Superintendent Vinny Orlando's proposed four year plan, he sees some roads that were resurfaced three years ago and "don't need to be done the first year. We need to address what's bad, right off the bat," he said. "The plan needs to be gone over with a fine-tooth comb."

Dinizio and Doherty both said they'd like to see some sort of spreadsheet or plan outlining when roads were paved most recently and those that need to be repaired townwide, in priority order.

Some roads might have one problem spot, Harris said, but perhaps the entire road might not need to be repaved.

Dinizo said he believed the plan the town board got from Orlando was "woefully inadequate for what we want to do and learn." The plan, he said, encompasses four years and 66 miles of town roads; Dinizio asked about ancillary roads. "Are they still good? We have no idea. Are they bad?"

Harris said there are 200 miles of roads in town, with 400 miles of lanes, and while the budget allocates $1 million for roadwork in 2017, plus Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program funding, "In today's economy, that doesn't go very far," he said. He added that when he was highway superintendent he went out and measured each road on foot.

Orlando did not immediately respond to a request for comment.