Schroeppel, NY -- The Schroeppel town board has cut money to run the town's parks and recreation department from the proposed budget for 2011. That means hundreds of residents could lose the chance to participate in the variety of programs offered by the department if the budget is adopted as is. The board conducts a public hearing on the proposed...
Schroeppel, NY -- The Schroeppel town board has cut money to run the town's parks and recreation department from the proposed budget for 2011.
That means hundreds of residents could lose the chance to participate in the variety of programs offered by the department if the budget is adopted as is.
The board conducts a public hearing on the proposed plan Wednesday. It can adopt the budget that night or make changes to the plan. The board must adopt the final budget by Nov. 20.
The move to drop the parks and rec department would save the town about $52,000 or about 16 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, town comptroller David Rahrle said. That represents about a $16 savings for someone in town whose house is assessed at $100,000.
The proposed budget totals $2,305,427. It carries a $2.89 per $1,000 tax rate for people living inside the village of Phoenix, an increase of 66 cents per $1,000. The tax rate is $4.06 per $1,000 outside the village, a decrease of 6 cents per $1,000.
Village residents would see the 30 percent increase in the tax rate because they pay only the town general fund and highway taxes, which Rahrle said saw the largest increases.
Supervisor Paul Casler said the parks and recreation department runs the William G. Farley Memorial Park at the town hall and a variety of activities throughout the year. The Farley park has ballfields, a pavilion and a playground. It is maintained by the town's buildings and grounds department.
Michelle Rudy, co-chair of the town's parks and recreation advisory committee, said some of the activities run by the department include holiday parties, a soccer league, summer rec program for children, mens basketball league, youth basketball, yoga classes, Red Cross babysitting classes, snowmobile and hunting classes, senior citizen outreach and youth volleyball.
She didn't know exactly how many people use the programs each year. But she said 300 people attended last week's Halloween party put on by the parks and rec department.
"As a person and as a mom, I can't imagine this community without these programs," she said. "The impact on the community is huge."
Rahrle said the town board made cuts to offset increases of 10 percent for health insurance premiums and 40 percent for contributions to the state retirement system. Without the cuts, the increase in the tax rate would have been much steeper, he said.
The only elected officials who would receive raises under the proposed plan are town justice Richard Burton, $1,000 to $11,438; highway superintendent Cliff Hoyt, $5,092 to $50,000; and receiver of taxes George Simons, $237 to $12,094. Rahrle said these raises were decided during the budget deliberation process.
This year, salaries accounted for nearly $46,000 of the parks and recreation budget. Full-time director Sue Lipke received $30,000, part-time community service specialist Debbie Humiston received $16,000.
Lipke recently resigned to take a new job, both Rudy and Casler said.
Parks and recreations was the only entire department to be cut, Rahrle said.
If you go
What: Public hearing on the Schroeppel town budget
When: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday
Where: Schroeppel Town Hall, 69 county Route 57A
Who: Open to the public
Contact Debra J. Groom at dgroom@syracuse.com, 470-3254 or 251-5586