PV 2014-15 Budget Page Summary Now Online

Yesterday 4/3/14 the Village did release a copy of the final draft of the proposed 2014-15 budget. The document is long and currently being scanned for full posting soon.  In the meantime a one page summary provided as part of the budget that sets forth the various proposed tax rates has been posted to our website and can be seen there.

There will be public hearing Monday at 6 p.m. on the proposed budget which may be voted upon immediately thereafter although that decision yet remains with the full Board when it meets. The budget does not legally require an adoption vote until later in the month.

Also in the meantime this reminder and appeal. The Citizens Campaign formed about a year and half ago is made up of ordinary residents of Patchogue Village. In our ranks no accountants or persons expert in reading a budget and explaining it. We appeal to the public to those with better knowledge how to do so to read the summary and share with the tax payers of the village relevant information about the nature of the tax increases that are proposed for the next budget year.

That this appeal must be made points out some of the glaring issues this process has revealed over the past few days. In our opinion this budget should have been posted in full on the Village website as a public service. As advocated by citizens in the past it should have been preceded with an open public meeting at which time the village Treasurer should have taken the time to meet with the public and explained its provisions prior to this Monday’s Board meeting. That way when questions are asked at the public hearing the public itself would be better prepared. This process should not be rushed. There should be at least one other public hearing at a time when the working public can be given a fair chance of showing up as well. For a village government to call itself democratic and progressive more effort should have been made to include the public in the most important decision village government is called upon to make and that is the spending of the taxes of its residents. That decision impacts everyone and since it does all should be given a maximum chance to participate not a minimal one. 

To find the budget summary please take the following steps: go to our website. When it opens look to the top for the “More” tab click it and when it opens a drop down box appears.  Find the next tab that says Village budgets. When that page opens it is the top document to appear. It is the budget summary page for the 2014-15 budget. Click the icon for the pdf document that will open that can then be read and downloaded.

Our website: http://www.patchoguevillagecitizens.com/.

As is our usual practice video will be taken of the meeting and will be available on line in the days following the public hearing and will be announced here in the Patch and on our Facebook page: Patchogue Village Residents for Open Village Government.