While residents in the Town of East Hampton are facing a second double-digit tax increase with the proposed $72 million 2010 budget, not-for-profits in the town are also feeling the effects of a multi-million deficit as funding for a number of local organizations has been slashed once more.
On Thursday, November 5, during a town board budget hearing, representatives from a handful of not-for-profits, including East End Special Players which has lost all of its funding from the town, implored the board to restore the town’s contribution to their operating budgets.
The meeting was also marked by comments from residents upset with the town’s proposed spending plan, which they said was too large, and by continued infighting amongst members of the town board who are in a public dispute over whether to cut a handful of town positions in an effort to lower the budget.
The $72.1 million preliminary budget would result in an 11.2 percent tax-increase for residents who just last year faced a 23-percent tax increase. The majority of increases are to cover $15 million in state-backed deficit financing to cover a growing town deficit that could rise above $20 million by the close of the 2009 fiscal year.
On Thursday, East Hampton Business Alliance representative Margaret Turner said her organization was “very concerned” about the preliminary budget, calling for hiring freezes and the elimination of all open positions funded in the budget.
“This reduction needs to happen with you,” said Turner, stating it could not be left in the hands of the incoming town board. Last week, Republican Supervisor candidate Bill Wilkinson was elected to fill the vacant seat of Bill McGintee, who resigned amidst the town’s growing financial crisis. Republicans Theresa Quigley and Dominick Stanzione were also elected to the town board and will replace Brad Loewen and Pat Mansir.
Loewen and Mansir have battled with board members Julia Prince and acting-Supervisor Pete Hammerle over employee layoffs the latter two wished to make in the budget as a means of reducing spending.
Turner noted by the time the next board takes office in January, the tax rate for residents will be established and there will be very little the new board can do to rectify the budget.
Joe Gaviola, a member of the town ‘s budget advisory committee and owner of Gaviola’s Montauk Market, said the committee believes the budget is going in the wrong direction and would like to see it cut to reflect just a three to four percent tax increase for residents. Like Turner, he said the responsibility lies with this board as the next board will not be able to reduce the costs to taxpayers as the budget will already be adopted.
Gaviola said the committee would like to see a reduction of town employees by five percent through attrition, incentives for early retirement and elimination of positions. They would also like to see the town board salaries reduced, and the removal of a three-percent annual raise for department heads that is not contractual in nature. The committee also advocated for a substantial decrease in costs earmarked for outside consultants, which is currently budgeted for $1.6 million in funds, and asked departments trim their budgets by an additional 10 percent.
Also hoping for changes to the budget are a number of not-for-profits that have seen their funding cut for a second year.
Arlene Notel, a teacher at the East Hampton Day Care Center, urged the board to reinstate a 25-percent cut in the funding that organization receives. Last year, the day care center received $100,000 in funding from the town. This year it is proposed to get $75,000.
“The youngest members of our community need us right now, more than ever,” said Notel.
Carol McGee, with the Family Service League, which offers mental health services from Montauk to Wainscott, made a similar plea. That organization’s funding has been cut from $105,608 to $80,000
Local architect Paul Rogers, who was accompanied by his daughter, Phoebe, pleaded with the board to restore a $20,000 grant used to fund Saturday afternoon programming for the East End Special Players, a recreational program and theatre troupe for residents with developmental disabilities. The funding has traditionally been paired with the donation of the Bridgehampton Senior Center by the Town of Southampton, which also provides transportation services and a $3000 grant, to enable the Saturday programming.
“I have been a member of the East End Special Players for nine years,” said Phoebe. “Every Saturday, I go to the community center in Bridgehampton to meet with all my friends and do different activities and to work on our play … We carry the message that people with disabilities have abilities. We educate the community.”
Due to an error in publishing a legal announcement on the budget hearing, the town board has kept the hearing open through next Friday, when it will hold a second hearing at town hall at 10 a.m.
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