No one spoke during a public hearing Monday, April 3, on the Village of Brockport’s proposed 2017-2018 budget.
Village Treasurer Daniel Hendricks presented the $5.3 million proposed budget which includes an increase of $38,314 in the tax levy and a tax rate increase of 1.18 percent or $0.11 more than the current year. The proposed tax rate is $11.99/$1,000 of assessed valuation.
“We are continually focusing on taxes,” Hendricks said. “We are doing the best we can.” The tax rate increase falls under the cap which this year is 1.73 percent, Hendricks said.
Under the proposal, the water fund budget increases 3.84 percent and the sewer fund budget increases 0.62 percent.Hendricks said budget trends continue for increased health insurance and retirement costs while state aid (AIM & CHIPS) remains flat. “We have to make it up in the tax levy, unfortunately,” he said.
The 2016-2017 tax levy was $2.651 million, the tax levy in the 2017- 2018 proposed budget is $2.689 million.
Hendricks noted the village court continues to be a significant source of revenue for the village. $150,000 is budgeted for 2017-2018, but Hendricks said the increase of 50 percent over this year’s figures is “conservative.”
On the expenditure side, the budget for public safety increases $76,720 or 4.8 percent over the current budget year. That includes the police department budget of $1.49 million, an increase of nearly three percent over the current budget year. The safety inspection line increases nearly 24 percent, an increase of just under $34,000.
Brockport Mayor Margaret Blackman thanked Hendricks for his work on the budget. “We finished the budget early this year,” she noted. “All went very smoothly.”
In other business, trustees accepted the resignation of village justice Kent Blair.
Mayor Blackman read Justice Blair’s letter of resignation which was set to take effect Friday, April 7. Blair said as a long-time employee of Time Warner Cable, the recent merger with Charter Communications has opened up career opportunities for him, making it difficult for him to continue with the demands of serving as a village justice.
“I love this community and I want this court to succeed,” Blair wrote.
Mayor Blackman said she is working to appoint a successor to Blair. While that process takes place, the Hon. John Pericak has been assigned by the 7th Judicial District as Acting Village Justice.
Justice Pericak will likely serve for at least six months, Mayor Blackman said, as training for new justices is not held until December, meaning the newly appointed justice would not begin serving until after that time.
“He will be an asset to the court and helpful to the current judge,” Mayor Blackman said of Pericak. “He has already gotten more court dates for us.” Hon. William Andrews, Jr., serves as the village’s second justice.
The Brockport Village Court has been restricted to Friday afternoon court hours.
Trustees also authorized Mayor Blackman to sign a M.O.U between the village and the Brockport Police Stetson Club regarding the creation of a split-shift, a police response team, and the new K-9 initiative.
The split shift will allow more flexibility for time periods and shift assignments, Mayor Blackman said. She also noted that thanks to donations, the Police Department’s new K-9 initiative will result only in an increased cost to the village of eight hours of comp time for the “dog handler” officer. Those hours are used for daily training of the dog, she said.
