Public hearing April 5 on $7.79 million Monroe village budget proposal

MONROE - A public hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday, April 5, at 6:30 p.m. for village residents to voice their opinion on the tentative $7,792.945 annual budget. The proposed budget represents a 3.4 percent increase over this year’s figures. A village resident with a home assessed at $50,000 would see a $57.50 increase in his or her taxes. For a home assessed at $100,000, it would mean an increase of $115 increase. No raises are projected for non-union employees. Highway and Water Department employees, who are with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, will see a 1 percent salary increase. The village police department union contract is presently up for re-negotiation. A new police vehicle is the only major equipment in the new budget. The village’s Water Fund is projected at $1,578,452. Revenues from the system’s users are calculated at $1,550.142. The only major increase in the tentative budget, said village treasurer Catherine Murray, are the state mandated health costs and retirement packages which the village has no control over. The village’s total assessment is up because of new housing units which now share the village services and are therefore driving down the cost to taxpayers, Murray said. The new developments include Briarcliff Estates on Rye Hill Road, Hidden Creek on Freeland Street and Prestwick Gardens on Orange Turnpike.