Hyde Park unveiled its tentative 2008 spending plan last week, which includes few bells and whistles and a tax rate that will hover just over 4 percent if the budget is approved.
The tentative budget totals $3,810,649.22 and reflects a tax rate of $4.10 per $1,000 of assessed value; homeowners whose homes are assessed at $200,000 would pay $820 in 2008 versus $798 in 2007, an increase of 22 dollars.
According to Town Supervisor Pompey Delafield, the 2008 town budget is very similar to the current spending budget, with a 2 percent spending increase for the police department, due to mandated salary and benefit increases. The tentative budget, according to Delafield, allows the town to “maintain facilities, upgrade trucks and cars, and manage the town in the best possible way.”
With fixed costs such as health insurance always on the rise, Delafield admitted that some concessions were made in order to keep spending at a minimum. “There’s an awful lot of work that goes into the budget,” said Delafield, who said he has been meeting with various town department supervisors for months.
A significant cost-savings measure that benefited the budget was within the tax collection department, said Delafield. By working with Receiver of Taxes Nancy Sheehan, the town was able to save 10 percent from last year’s budget. The town also worked closely with Highway Superintendent Walt Doyle to strategize a plan to replace aging trucks and review staffing needs.
“Did he get everything he wanted? No.” said Delafield, noting that a compromise was made that will add two new trucks to the department’s fleet each year for five years. “We have committed to a program of updating trucks,” said Delafield, who would like to see more personnel added to the highway department at some point. “Walt is quite right that he needs an additional person, as does the police department,” said Delafield.
New police car coming
Under the tentative budget plan, the town’s police department will acquire a new car, “which they needed,” according to Delafield. The new car will enable police officers to answer emergencies faster, he added. As the town is not permitted to make any capital improvements to the police headquarters on Route 9G, budget funds will be applied to minor maintenance issues. “Any money that we toss into that building is a waste, in my view,” said Delafield, who is still looking at options for relocating the police department headquarters.
The tentative budget will be reviewed by Town Board members, who will finalize a preliminary budget to be presented to residents at a meeting on Nov. 8. Following a public hearing, the final budget must be passed by Nov. 20. “I would be somewhat surprised if there are any significant changes by the board,” said Delafield.
Delafield would like to see more funds dedicated to capital projects in the future. “We need to maintain our facilities more,” he said, while admitting cost is always a concern. “We’re constantly looking to best serve in regards to finding a reasonable amount of money to ask people to pay,” he said.