Committee member warns against relying on one-time revenue as trustees review tentative budget

At a Village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees work session, staff presented specific adjustments to the tentative budget and a committee member warned that the village is relying too heavily on one-time revenue to balance the books.

Staff member (S2) outlined a set of line-item changes including removing $5,200 for Granicus from the clerk line, restoring insect-control funding (an increase of $6,000, bringing that line to $12,000), a requested $20,000 increase for fire department auto repairs, an increase to parks beautification, longevity pay for five eligible employees (+$12,000), an across-the-board increase to fuel lines (about $10,000 total) and a $4,000 bump for police department auto repairs. "The total changes are an additional 79,300, bringing the total appropriations to 50,328,000," the staff member said.

The staff member also said the revenue line in the budget documents would remain at the figure shown there and that the village plans to allocate a portion of fund balance to support the budget. Board members asked for clarification on encumbrances and whether line-item surpluses carry forward; the staff member explained that surplus funds do not automatically roll into the same line next year unless they are encumbered with backup documentation.

A committee member (S3) pressed a longer-term point: the memorandum circulated by the committee flagged "our concerns about the reliance on nonrecurring revenue," citing FEMA payments, elevated state aid this year and the one-time proceeds from a cell tower sale that helped balance the current-year budget. S3 said the committee expects the capital budget to rely on roughly $2,000,000 of fund balance and urged that operating and capital budgets be prepared together so trustees can see how operating changes will affect capital priorities. "It's important to get a clear set of priorities on the capital investments," the committee member said, noting that the village is not proposing to issue debt next fiscal year.

Trustees discussed the effect of grant-dependent capital projects, especially flood-related work, and agreed the village should set realistic multi-year timetables for big projects so residents understand when work will be completed. The board asked staff to circulate any remaining questions and to prepare responses for their next public meeting.

Next steps: staff will provide the board with the requested backup and the board plans to consider these adjustments and the committee's recommendations at the upcoming legislative meeting.