The Village of Port Washington North approved a $4.5 million budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which includes projects such as an inclusive playground for children with disabilities and varying sensory needs.
“We have an incredibly exciting project,” Mayor Robert Weitzner said.
Weitzner also swore in the re-elected Trustees Steven Cohen and Michael Malatino. And in continuing a decade-long tradition, Weiztner re-appointed Cohen as his deputy mayor once again.
The $4,504,613 budget is a 60.62% increase from the current budget but only includes a 2.09% tax levy increase.
The village said the tax levy increase is not surpassing the allowable tax cap due to exemptions available to Port Washington North. Village Treasurer Mary Jo Bella said the increase is below the tax cap by about $4,600.
While the budget totals $4.5 million, the village is budgeting revenues at about $3,604,613. The village’s fund balance will fill the $900,000 difference between revenues and spending.
This is about double the amount of fund balance used last year.
The village received a state grant of $500,000 for the inclusive playground that required Port Washington North to match. Weitzner said instead of taxing residents to match the grant, he opted to use money from the fund balance.
Excluding the $500,000 for the park, the village’s use of its fund balance fell about $50,000.
The village’s budget also reflects a shift in its infrastructure initiatives, diminishing expenses for road work to bolster tree and sidewalk work instead.
Weitzner said the village has been repaving its roads over the past few years and will have finished repaving all of them by the end of next year. Since the work will be done soon, the village is using the money used for roads to go towards fixing sidewalks and planting trees.
In planting new trees, the village is also planning to remove old trees causing damage to the sidewalks. This work will go in tandem with the sidewalk repairs.
The village is budgeting $80,000 to finish road construction projects, with another $80,000 for tree work and $192,000 for sidewalks.
As the village approved its budget and continues to look forward to its future financials, the Board of Trustees also made actions for the village’s future in conducting its annual village organizational meeting.
