Budget Hearing Tonight

The public can have its say on next year’s town budget tonight at Town Hall, when the East Hampton Town Board will hold a hearing on the proposed $71.5 million plan.

If it is passed as it stands, properties outside the incorporated villages of Sag Harbor and East Hampton would pay $28.90 per $100 of assessed value, an increase of 1.8 percent over this year. Property owners within the villages would pay $11.63 per $100, an increase of 2.8 percent.

Of the overall budget, just over $49 million would be raised by taxes; the rest would come from various other sources. 

The increase in the tax levy would be well within the allowable increase under the state-mandated 2-percent cap. That amount — $300,000 — will be credited toward the town’s tax levy cap for 2016, allowing taxes to be increased by that much in addition to the allowable 2 percent.

Because the proposed tax levy increase remains under the state cap, under a state income tax credit program East Hampton residents will receive a rebate for the amount of the increase on the town portion of property taxes.

In recent weeks, upon review of the budget prepared and submitted to the town board by Supervisor Larry Cantwell, some changes were made. One source of revenue, $50,000 in fees that would be charged to landlords to register their rentals under a proposed new law, has been eliminated, “pending the town board’s continued review of the issue,” Mr. Cantwell wrote in a foreword to the revised plan.

Expected revenue from recently approved leases of town property to solar energy companies exploring potential installations — $80,000 next year — has been added to the budget.

Over all, the amount of expected income from sources other than property tax, including fees, leases, mortgage taxes, and fines, is up by $964,967 over this year. Revenue generated by the East Hampton Airport, including from a recent increase in fees charged for aviation fuel sales, accounts for 79 percent of that, or $757,319. The doubling of the aviation fuel fee, to 30 cents per gallon, has prompted a lawsuit by Sound Aircraft Services, which sells fuel at the airport.

Other adjustments made to the earlier budget include the addition of $70,000 to cover the actual costs of a recently settled contract with the town police union; $10,000 for the fisheries committee to promote the local industry, and the addition of $20,000 to hire a part-time staffer to oversee youth services.

The elimination of two part-time bus driver positions, which the budget says will not change the operation of the town’s transportation program, reduces proposed spending by almost $30,000.

Tonight’s hearing will begin at 6:30.