Babylon Village approves budget with tax increase

Babylon Village adopted a $9.3 million budget last week for the 2014-15 fiscal year starting June 1.

The budget includes a 4.84 percent property tax levy increase, bringing the tax rate per $100 of assessed valuation to $14.93. For a house assessed at $10,000, Mayor Ralph Scordino said, property taxes will rise about $70.

The budget is up from $8.9 million last year, with spending in major areas such as street maintenance, transportation and the fire department increasing slightly. Funding held steady for the village golf course, docks, greenhouse and the Conklin House.

Employee benefits such as health insurance and workers’ compensation — taken together, the largest single cost area for the village — edged up about $70,000 to $2.4 million.

In an interview Thursday, Scordino called the budget fair but far from ideal, squeezed by the tax levy cap and state mandates such as an MTA tax that he said put an outsized burden on a budget as relatively small as the village’s.

“Something’s got to give,” Scordino said, warning that in coming years the village could face major vehicle purchases including a new ambulance. That alone could cost $190,000, he said.

Another difficult winter like this year’s could also upset budget calculations. The village budgeted $75,000 for snow removal next year, the same amount as last year, but spent $121,524 in the year to date.