Southampton Town Supervisor Proposes $80.7 Million Budget for 2014

Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, who released her tentative budget for the upcoming fiscal year on Monday, is proposing an $80.7 million budget, a $2.3 million increase in spending.

The current tax levy would be maintained due to a projected increase in revenue of almost $2 million over the adopted 2013 budget, the supervisor said in a special meeting on Monday morning.

She said the budget focuses on three main areas; controlling costs, continue strengthening the town’s financial position, and address critical staffing, service delivery and infrastructure needs.

"As with all municipal budgets, the greatest expense is associated with our greatest asset — personnel," Throne-Holst said. Employee costs will rise approximately $2.1 million in the next fiscal year.

The budget provides funding for two additional positions, a new groundskeeper in the Community Preservation Fund department and a new maintenance mechanic in the Hampton Bays Water District, bringing the total number of full-time staff up to 482. In 2013, staffing was at an all-time low since 2002, a 13 percent reduction from the all-time high of 554 full-time positions in 2008.

The budget also includes the addition of one part-time code enforcement officer in Public Safety, one part-time garage mechanic in the Central Garage, and one part-time data entry clerk in the Information Technology division.

"These staffing additions are proposed in order to address the increased needs of these departments, and directly supports their core mission," she said.

Meanwhile, two unfilled vacancies — the deputy assessor and civil engineer positions — are being abolished. "This budget finally completes the task of eliminating previously funded but unfilled positions," she said.

The proposed budget offers a "modest" cost of living two percent salary increase across the board, except for elected officials and appointed board members.

"Another area where I have controlled costs is in the debt and debt service appropriations," she said in her message. "Through aggressive treasury management and an increasingly favorable credit rating that my administration has obtained, the Town has been able to reduce the debt service on loans by over $600,000."

On the revenue side, a $1 million increase is projected in mortgage tax revenue. The town also expects $500,000 of the $1.4 million in anticipated reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Association.

The supervisor also proposes appropriating $1.7 million of a $28.5 million fund balance.

Capital improvements planned include a $3.6 million road improvement and highway projects budget and provides for significant investments in new technologies for improved efficiencies in town operations.

The technologies include Accela, a public safety software that will allow code enforcement and the fire marshal to share data. "This level of technology will reduce processing time, while much increased time can be dedicated to field operations," the supervisor said, adding that the program has the potential to speed up the permit and application process.

The town will soon be implementing a law enforcement information management operating system that will allow police officers to have faster access to data through improved mobile operations and enhanced dispatching operations. "We are in the final stages of a selection process that will provide the same level of information sharing and field access to information that will be available to our public safety divisions," the supervisor said.

"I am confident that this is a sound fiscal plan that will keep the Town on the steady course to improved financial stability that it has been on for the past three years," Throne-Holst said.