School budget negotiations begin

BY KASSARA MCELROY

On Tuesday, February 7, the first of a series of presentations to the Board of Education covering the proposed 2022/23 budget was held, led by Superintendent Dr. Kusum Sinha and Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance Dana DiCapua.

“Our focus is on how we can continue excellence in academic and extracurricular programs, while developing a budget that is fiscally respon- sible,” said Sinha. “We want to ensure that our students are thinking deeply, supporting their thinking, applying problem solving skills and actively participating in their learning. We want our students to reach their personal best.”

The Board was provided with an initial overview of the proposed budget for the 2023/24 school year, which totals $130,282,491. That’s a budget-to-budget increase of 4.58%, or $5,703,042. It falls within the allowable tax cap levy of 2.32%.

The New York State property tax cap law establishes a maximum allowable tax levy limit for each school district, which allows school districts to increase their property tax levy from one year to the next by 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is less at the time. The tax levy cap takes various factors into account, including the consumer price index (CPI), tax base growth, capital tax levy and payments in lieu

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BY RIKKI MASSAND

Mayor Cosmo Veneziale began the February 2 Board of Trustees’ meeting at Village Hall by speaking about an inquiry he made, via an official letter on village letterhead, regarding Trustee Mary Carter Flanagan’s ability to vote with the board on certain personnel items that include worker’s compensation cases. Trustee Carter Flanagan is employed as a judge by the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board.

According to Veneziale, it was brought to his attention that Trustee Carter Flanagan had inquired whether or not the mayor is the only person who can execute a contract on behalf of the village. In the process, the mayor said he learned about the “strict rules of conduct that a worker’s compensation judge must abide by.”

He also heard from Village Attorney Gary Fishberg that Trustee Carter Flanagan may need to recuse herself on future matters that deal with workers’ compensation. According to the mayor, when he asked for more clarifications, counsel suggested that the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board could address the matter the best.

“The letter I sent to the WCB was solely seeking clarification. Should the Board have responded in the affirmative stating that no conflict existed, the inquiry would have ended. There’s been no response by the Workers’ Compensation Board to my letter. My inquiry was made to the WCB as a courtesy to determine if a sitting trustee who is a workers’ compensation judge has any conflict with voting in village workers’ compensation matters. At the time I issued the letter Trustee Carter Flanagan had not yet announced she was running for village mayor – there was no political motive on my part,” he explained.

The mayor said that the actions he took on this matter with the letter are “consistent with his obligations as the Village of Garden City’s mayor.” He said contacting the WCB was done in the most confidential manner possible and without divulging any information.

He said that to date the Workers’ Compensation Board has not responded to Veneziale’s letter, and Trustee Carter Flanagan has not provided the village with any documentation advising that she is permitted to run for mayor.

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