Westbury Budget Under Tax Cap Again

The Nassau Illustrated Staff

editors@antonmediagroup.com

For the 12th straight year, the Village of Westbury will present a budget that will not pierce the state-mandated tax cap. Introduced last decade by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo in a bid to stop rising school and property taxes, the law limits the tax levy (amount to be raised by taxes by a taxing entity) to 2 percent or the rate of inflation— whichever is lower.

Thanks to some complicated formulas, the levy can top 2 percent and Westbury’s will be 3.65 percent for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

According to Mayor Peter Cavallaro, “a typical village homeowner, owning a home with an assessed value of $609,610, will in 2023-24 pay, on average, only $1,146.06 for all village government services, which is only $48.76 more than last year. With this budget, despite the levy increase, the village continues to maintain among the lowest per capita village property tax levies for comparable villages. The budget is the result of our annual comprehensive review and rigorous scrutiny of all expenditure and revenue items in every village department, as well as other factors.”

Cavallaro noted that inflationary pressures and other factors beyond the board’s control made crafting this latest budget a challenge.

“Fortunately, our many years of fiscal prudence and conservative budgeting have positioned the village to be in the strongest fiscal condition in the village’s history, so we will weather this uncertain time, and this budget continues to provide for all of the essential services that our residents enjoy and expect,” Cavallaro said.

The mayor identified several steep cost increases, including:

• A 44.6 percent hike in state-provided medical and dental health coverage for its employees compared to last year’s budgeted allocation, and a nearly 80 percent increase from last year’s actual expenditure

• A 20 percent increase year-over-year in diesel fuel and gas associated with the village’s sanitation and other activities

• A 16.8 percent year-over-year hike in the state-imposed contribution to the state retirement fund for its employees

• A 12 percent rise in premiums for the village’s regular insurance coverages

• Increase in costs associated with the software required and maintenance and repair of parking pay stations

The spending plan does not take into account potential increases in costs associated with a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the unionized employees. The current CBA expires May 31, 2023.

“This budget is among the most difficult during my tenure,” Cavallaro stated. “However, the village continues to streamline costs and has worked to reduce payroll administrative costs, telecommunications expenses, and utility expenses related to street lighting, and will continue to monitor all current and new contracts in the same manner. I and the village board will always work aggressively to provide village services in the most cost-effective manner possible and this budget maintains all village services. We will continue to apply the fiscal discipline and restraint that we have in the past and do whatever we can to minimize impacts on our residents.”