Village Stays Under Cap

    The East Hampton Village Board voted at its April meeting to pierce the 2-percent tax cap if necessary, but it needn’t have bothered. At last week’s work session the board unveiled the 2012-13 budget, which came in a hair’s breadth under the allowable amount.

    The new budget of just over $19 million is an increase of $626,574, or 3.4 percent, over this year’s spending, and reflects a rate increase of 2.9 percent, $15,176 less than the tax cap’s ceiling.

    Offsetting the increased retirement contributions (up over $400,000), some purchases, and capital improvements, is a projected additional $144,500 expected from raising the price of nonresident beach stickers from $325 to $375.

    “We believe we have struck a balance,” said Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach last Thursday, reading from a statement, “between funding necessary services, maintaining our infrastructure and buildings, cutting expenses where prudent, and modestly increasing revenues where appropriate.”

    A public hearing on the budget will be scheduled for sometime early next month.