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Village President: Sleepy Hollow still operating on tight budget

Despite a property tax hike passed in Sleepy Hollow earlier this year, Village President Stephen Pickett says the village will continue operating on a “very tight budget.”

During fiscal year 2017, which began May 1, officials anticipate spending roughly $1.6 million in the general fund, which covers day-to-day operating costs, according to budget documents. With revenues budgeted at just under that amount, the village is projecting a nearly $30,000 operational deficit for this year.

The 2016-2017 budget, approved last week by trustees, does not include revenues from the 33 percent property tax increase that was narrowly approved by voters in March. Sleepy Hollow won't collect the annual $180,000 generated from the tax hike until June 2017, Pickett said.

“We've still got to keep an eye on that bottom line,” he said.

Because the tax increase passed, however, officials did “open up the pocketbook a little bit” to improve efficiencies, Pickett said, such as hiring two part-time, seasonal public works employees. Last year, only one part-timer was hired — one of several ways the village tried trimming expenses.

“There are some things we want to get done — things we don't want to leave out there to drop between the cracks and get further behind,” he said. “Hopefully a little more of the housekeeping issues that surround the village will be taken care of.”

Once in the village's coffers, the additional property tax revenue is expected to contribute to the village's five-year capital fund, which is used for long-term expenses such as large purchases or building maintenance.

The village began the previous fiscal year with $287,640 in the capital fund, according to budget documents. At the beginning of fiscal year 2017, the fund had a balance of $178,487, and officials are projecting a balance of $109,862 by next April.

If not for the tax hike, Pickett estimated those funds would have been depleted within two years.

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