Final budget still not announced, nine days past adoption
Muir Woods discussed
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

When the Town Board started making amendment to the tentative 2008 budget it was working with a $900,000 credit. Through resolutions, that amount was used, and $18,600 was added to the budget.

The final 2008 budget has not been released, but at Monday's Town Board meeting, Comptroller Frank Belliotti said spending has increased from Supervisor Satish Mohan's tentative budget.

Belliotti said the $900,000 credit had been a mistake in the tentative budget because the funding was included twice.

But the good news for residents is that the change won't affect the tax levy, as proposed in the tentative budget.

After the meeting, Belliotti said, the total budget for 2008 is $115.85 million.

"It was a whole mix of things; there were 30 resolutions that increased or decreased the budget," Belliotti said about reaching the final spending plan.

He added that the contingency budget for $500,000, and funding for the Highway Department had the biggest impact on the $900,000 credit.

During Monday's meeting, Mohan presented a resolution to adjust the budget. That had to be withdrawn as the law prohibits changes after the adoption of the budget.

At the Oct. 29 meeting, the budget was adopted, "as amended," without the total calculated.

Town Attorney Tom Jones said changes can be made internally but those can neither increase nor decrease the bottom line.

"That is why you should know what you are voting on," Jones said.

The board did not present the final budget figures during Monday's meeting. Mohan said he still needed to go over the resolutions with Belliotti.

"Areas need changing," Mohan said, adding that there are some mathematical mistakes in the budget. "The comptroller came to me with these problems ... I wanted to correct his mistakes."

Mohan also claimed he wasn't getting any help with the budget problems.

Council Member Shelly Schratz also said she wasn't getting the answers she needed from the comptroller's office.

"I'm holding you on this one,"

she said to Belliotti. "I ask questions over and over again, and I can't get answers. There are mis- ''takes here and there, but you are not able to come up with the numbers."

Mohan concluded the back and forth debate between the board and the comptroller with, "I will try and clean up the budget."

A date as to when the final budget will be available for review was not announced.

In other board action, the final generic environmental impact statement for Muir Woods, a proposed multi-use development, was accepted. This begins a comment period and will be followed by a review of the findings in the statement.

Assistant Planning Director Gary Black said the project has been downsized from 1 million square feet to 700,000, He added that in all aspects, the scope for the project is smaller than previous plans.

The major concern with the development has been the impact from traffic. He said most of the 340 comments in the statement address traffic.

Monday's vote was not a final decision on the project.

e-mail: jfinch@beenews.com