Atlantic Beach adopts $3.5 million budget

Village's summer parking regulations extended

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Atlantic Beach Trustee Andrew Rubin guided the rest of the board and village residents through the 12-page budget and underscored that the barrier island community’s “financial condition is excellent.”

Rubin said that there is enough money in the $3.518 million fiscal plan to do the needed capital improvements such as the boardwalk and “that’s the way it should work,” he said. “In our village we need to keep up as we have a stellar neighborhood as anywhere on Long Island.”

The 2018-19 budget, which was adopted by a 4-0 vote (Deputy Edward Sullivan did not attend) at the April 9 meeting, includes a tax rate of $120.95 per $100 of assessed value and a tax levy of $2.139 million — the amount of money needed to be raised through property taxes. The new budget goes into effect on June 1.

There will be a roughly 10 percent increase to the $70,000 payment to the Town of Hempstead Sewer District. That will be more than offset by a decline of $15,000 in the total amount of money paid to village inspectors from $80,000 to $65,000, as code enforcement officers will be used far less during the winter months, Mayor George Pappas said.

Repairing and maintaining the village roads, curbs and sidewalks are a priority, and the village is putting the money where the paving is, increasing the amount for overall street maintenance $50,000 from $571,424 to $621,770. In 2016, the amount was $220,380. “We are doing our best and doing real projects, not just patch jobs,” Pappas said.

In lowering the hourly wage paid to the lifeguards — $22 per hour to $15 per hour — the village is saving $13,000 and reduced the overall expense for its beaches to $499,671. In the current budget the expense is $503,941.

To maintain the appearance of Atlantic Beach, community beautification received a bump of $20,000 from the $14,000 that was previously budgeted. The village’s debt service dropped $36,397 to $494,376.

Other village business
The board also approved a change in the summer parking regulations. Instead of going into effect on May 15 and expiring on Sept. 15, the seasonal rules will now be in effect from March 1 to Oct. 31.

The revision is to enhance protection of the beaches, Pappas said, as the change will most likely result in a decline of people from communities such as Long Beach and Rockaway romping on the sand out-of-season. Public Works Superintendent Steve Cherson said the revised stretch dovetails with the state Department of Environmental Conservation aiming to protect wildlife such as the piping plover.

Allen Industries won the bid for the roadwork project on Eldorado Street between Atlantic and Bay boulevards. Cherson said there were four bids; Allen’s was $196,000. It’s slated for this year.

Village election inspectors were appointed and the hours — 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. — were set for voting in the June 19 election. The positions of mayor and two trustees — all two-year terms — are up for election this year.

The next village meeting is May 14, at 7:45 p.m., 65 The Plaza, at Village Hall, in Atlantic Beach.