Saturday, November 16, 2013

Town of Huntington,NY...........Part VI

OUR TOWN….
SUCH A NICE PLACE TO LIVE AND RAISE A FAMILY.

I have bone to pick with Town Hall, again! I ran across an article in Newsday, by Deborah S. Morris which I will post in its entirety, and provide a link to the complete article. Ms. Morris has captured some little nuggets that the residents of Huntington might want to have a look at. This is all about our tax dollars, aka your money, which is being stolen right out from under us by a corrupt administration in Town Hall. And, it’s also about who we elect to run our Town government. Prior to seeing this article by Ms. Morris, I had a chance to read through the newly adopted Huntington Town Budget for 2014. It took me a while to find what I was looking for, and another while to get through it all. What I did find is that our money is going places you wouldn’t imagine in a million years. (I will address that in my next post.) Does it bother anyone that just three days after the “head of the beast” was re-elected, with the ink on the ballots from Tuesday still wet, there was a Town Council meeting to vote on next year’s Budget? Heaven forbid the meeting should be well advertised and well attended! Come on, folks, there should be standing room only at these meetings, and, until there is, our Town government will exercise free reign on spending our money.


“Huntington Town board narrowly approves 2014 budgets”
[Monday November 11, 2013 7:30 AM by Deborah S. Morris]

Photo credit: James Escher | Huntington Town Supervisor Frank Petrone posing for a portrait inside the clubhouse of Hamlet Golf and Country Club. (June 26, 2013)

The Town of Huntington has approved its spending plan for next year by adopting operating and capital budgets for 2014.The adopted $185.2 million 2014 operating budget calls for a net zero increase across the town’s 14 taxing funds. But there will be hikes in two of the top three funds. The general fund will see an increase of 3.6 percent, and there will be a 1.7 percent rise for the Consolidated Refuse Fund.
The Highway Fund will see a decrease of 4.65 percent. The budget calls for no reduction in services or layoffs; and raises will go only to those under a collective bargaining unit contract.
Spending is up 2.2 percent, but the amount to be raised by taxes stays at the same level as last year — $109,686,705.
“We spent a lot time putting this budget together; we got a lot of input and obviously the board thought it was fine and thought it was the proper budget for this next fiscal year,” said Town Supervisor Frank Petrone, also the town’s chief financial officer. “The two people who voted against it did not offer any amendments so I don’t know where their concerns are.”
Both budgets were adopted 3 to 2 with Mark Cuthbertson and Susan Berland voting yes and Mark Mayoka and Gene Cook opposing the plans.
Cook cited discrepancies in the costs allotted for outside attorney fees and to settle various lawsuits against the town.
“I just didn’t believe the numbers and I couldn’t vote for something I didn’t believe in,” Cook said.”
The $8.8 million capital budget was also approved 3 to 2. The capital budget includes building a boathouse at Centerport Beach, $350,000 is earmarked for that expenditure.” [1]
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Items of note:

*    Watch out for those “general Funds”. That’s where the largest increase occurs, and that’s the category most often used for corrupt spending.

*    Looks like the new Highway Superintendent is in for a rough ride. His budget got slashed, and he hasn’t yet taken office. Oh, did I mention, he’s a Republican who unseated the worst Democratic Highway Superintendent the Town has ever had?

*    “…obviously the board thought it was fine and thought it was the proper budget for this next fiscal year.” Well, actually, two (2) out of five (5) board members thought it stank to high heaven.

*    the head of the Beast” is also the chief financial officer? You gotta be kiddin’ me!

*    I thought Centerport has its own “Beach Association”. I know for a fact there are plenty of tradesmen in Centerport. Why does the entire Town have to pay for their boathouse?

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