News

Park district taxes falling in Mattituck

Voters in the Mattituck Park District will see their tax rate drop if they approve a $566,860 budget on the ballot Aug. 12, said Nicholas Deegan, chairman of the park commissioners board of directors. They have been paying slightly more than $18 per $1,000 of assessed valuation and the new tax rate would be about $17 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, Mr. Deegan said.

Only $432,360 is to be raised by taxes in the proposed new budget with the balance coming from the district’s surplus, interest and earnings, permit fees and miscellaneous revenues from facility rentals.

The district’s spending “is going in the right direction,” Mr. Deegan said.

The $566,860 is down from the current budget of $664,202, and the amount to be raised from taxes has fallen 6 percent, he said. During the past three years, appropriations to be raised by taxes have been reduced by 10.4 percent, Mr. Deegan said.

Personnel costs are up from $162,350 to $178,250, much of which results from the hiring of lifeguards and small salary increases for park personnel.

Much of the drop in site improvement costs — from $235,000 this year to a projected $140,00 in the year ahead — results from completion of work on various projects within the district, Mr. Deegan said.

The largest of those project is the conversion of the Veterans Park maintenance facility into a public-use building that can be hired out for family gatherings, community groups and a variety of other purposes, Mr. Deegan said. The district is also resurfacing its Bay Avenue tennis courts and rebuilding the Aldrich Lane baseball field and has upgraded the fields at its Peconic Bay Boulevard Park. In September, bulkheads will be replaced at the Love Lane boat ramp.

No large capital projects are planned for next year, Mr. Deegan said. The district will focus on maintenance with some landscaping and grounds improvements.

Voting takes place at Veterans Memorial Park from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12.

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