Village of Sea Cliff adopts 2020-21 budget
The Sea Cliff Village Board of Trustees reviewed and adopted the tentative $6.2 million budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year during a virtual meeting on April 15, passing it unanimously. This is a 1.1 percent increase over the 2019-20 budget.
Additionally, the tax levy increase is 35 percent lower than the state-mandated 2 percent property tax cap, keeping more money in taxpayers’ pockets.
The average village tax bill is expected to be roughly $2,688, so the average homeowner would see a village tax increase of $14.36 for the year, or $1.20 per month.
Roughly 14 percent of property taxes paid by Sea Cliff residents actually go to the village, with the North Shore School District receiving the bulk of property taxes at 65 percent.
Another 14 percent goes to the police, four percent goes to the Town of Oyster Bay and the remaining three percent go to Nassau County.
The village estimates that roughly $5.5 million of the budget will be funded by taxes. The remaining $675,750 is expected to be collected by other revenues, including beach fees, court fines, permits and state aid.
These estimated revenues are less than last year’s, which Village Administrator Bruce Kennedy said is a result of the Covid-19 crisis. He said the village may see a decrease in state aid as funding from Albany is allocated to places where it may not have been needed if not for the coronavirus.
Since the tentative budget process occurred before and during the health emergency breakout, Kennedy said it was originally larger than the final product. However, knowing that state aid may be harder to come by, Kennedy said the village went back and cut some expenses out of the budget, maintaining a low tax increase for residents.
“It’s a very conservative, very thought out budget by the Board of Trustees,” Mayor Edward Lieberman said, “with input from our various departments to make sure that are essential services that our residents expect are delivered and their tax burden is kept at a very low minimum.”
