Great Neck Village Adopts Budget for 2013-2014

The Village of Great Neck recently adopted a village-wide balanced budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year which includes a 2 percent tax increase — which falls below the state tax cap levy of 2.7 percent.   

Additionally, Mayor Ralph Kreitzman and the Great Neck Village Board of Trustees adopted a one-time fee to decommission the village sewer operations due to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation requirements. 

Approximately, two-thirds of the village is serviced by the village’s sewer system and is charged by the village for that service. 

“The village continues to face challenges such as increased pension payments, health insurance premiums and other unfunded state mandates, property tax exemptions and refunds, increased bond payments to pay the cost of repaving the village’s roads and other cost pressures,” said Kreitzman, in a press release. “The village Board of Trustees and I were able to make difficult and fiscally responsible decisions in the best interest of our residents.” 

The proposed one-time sewer decommissioning fee is the result of the agreement made by the village and the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District to combine and have the district’s new plant more efficiently treat all of the village’s sewage.

The agreement allows the village to decommission its sewer operations, saving village residents and business owners thousands of dollars of taxes in years to come, according to village officials.

“It’s also very important to reiterate to our residents that village-wide taxes are less than 14 percent of their total real estate taxes,” added Kreitzman. “For those taxes we efficiently provide the services they see and rely on every day in their homes and especially when they go outside. Those services include fire protection, ambulance service, street plowing and sweeping, garbage pickup and recycling, street lighting, tree and stump removal and replanting, storm sewers, safety inspections, fire hydrants, traffic signage, roadway repairs and repaving and more.” 

The village’s multi-year roadway repair program to rebuild or repave all village roads is planned to continue with the village bonding and spending up to $1.5 million next fiscal year for that purpose.  

Over the past five years and next year’s budget year, village-wide taxes have increased an average of 2.09 percent, according to village officials. Next year’s tax on an average valued home will be, for village-wide services, $161 per month.

For sewer services, including the one-time decommissioning fee of $21.50 per month, the amount will be $63 on an average monthly bill. Homeowners are projected to recoup the one-time fee in less than one year and save money for years to come, according to village officals.

For further information on the proposed balanced budget and further village initiatives, contact village hall at (516) 482-0019 or log onto www.greatneckvillage.org.