The Village of Manorhaven’s accountant reported that the village is in the midst of a good financial period with projections it will break even or accrue a small surplus at the end of the fiscal year in May.
“We want to be healthy at the end of the year and I’m expecting that,” Bob Kordic, the village’s accountant, said.
Kordic added that the village also had year-end surpluses at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 fiscal years.
At the Manorhaven Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, the accountant provided a financial overview of the village from the beginning of the current fiscal year on June 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2023. Its current fiscal year will end on May 31.
He said the village has collected about $3.4 million in property tax revenues – about 90% of the tax levy. The village also made a “dent” in collecting outstanding delinquent taxes, Kordic said, amounting to about $55,000 in principle and interest.
Kordic said the village has also collected about $63,000 in interest income, $60,000 more than the prior fiscal year at the same time.
A downside, Kordic said, is that mortgage tax revenues have decreased by $20,000 compared to last year at this time. He attributed this to a low sales rate.
The village’s court fees have increased by about $40,000 during the time period, Kordic said.
Kordic said one of the village’s biggest costs is its contract with the Port Washington Sewer District, which constitutes about one-fifth of its budget. He said the contract, which is set at nearly $100,000 a month, has increased by about $10,000 per month, or 4%, from the prior fiscal year.
Mayor John Popeleski said there is no way for the village to negotiate a lower contract cost with the sewer district, adding that costs will continue to increase due to its recent bond.
“Unfortunately, they’re the only game in town… that we bring our sewer water to,” Popeleski said. “So basically there is no room for wiggle room to talk to them and say ‘Hey, can we do something better?’ Unfortunately, it’s the cost that the village has to do business with the sewer district.”
Popeleski said the village’s contract with the sewer district is ending next year, making negotiations possible, but said that he does not expect success.
Kordic said the village has paid off one of its bonds and its debt service costs have decreased by about $50,000 from last year. He said the village overall has had a “healthy” fund balance at about $1.4 million – more than 25% of the village’s 2023-2024 budgeted expenditures.
“This is a very, very healthy fund balance and it’s representative of the mayor and the board’s fiscal stewardship,” Kordic said.
In other news, the board voted to approve its 2024 contract with the Port Washington Fire Department as well as accept a settlement with the Driftwood Harbor Condominiums.
The fire contract is estimated to cost the village $359,406.
The settlement concerned flooding the condo owners claimed was due to village roadwork and design, which they sought to remediate with the village. Village attorney Kenneth Gray said the village had done work on side roads near the condo, which had then caused water to be pushed towards the residential building.
Gray said the initial claim from the condo owners was set at $4,000.
On Jan. 5, the village had settled with the condo owners to pay the actual costs of their repairs which amounted to $2,500 in total, Gray said, and all other legal and court fees were waived in the settlement.
The repairs implemented by the condo owners were a French drain and a larger dry well to combat the flooding, Gray said.
