Densieski Says EPCAL Needs Recreation

Former Town Board member Ed Densieski says that the Town should include recreation as one of it's priorities in planning for EPCAL.  The Town recently let a contract for EPCAL planning to an outside firm.

Building Inspections - Outside Company

The Town is expected to come to an agreement with an outside firm to conduct building inspections on the big box stores which prevail on route 58.  The recent budget cut 13 employees from the Town payroll including the Building Department.

Pharmacy and Bank on Edwards

The owners of a 3 acre-plus parcel on Edwards Avenue (opposite FedEx) are proposing the building of a 13,800 square foot pharmacy and a 4,000 square foot bank on the site,  The now closed Village Crossroads restaurant would remain and share parking with the commercial buildings.  Previous proposals did not meet the zoning restrictions for the area.

"Millionaire Tax" Ending

Fredric Dicker of the NY Post is reporting that the so called Millionaire's tax for people making over $200,000 is coming to an end.  The tax expires on December 31 and will not be renewed according to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Zeldin Rally to Stop Salt Water Fee

State Senator Lee Zeldin will be holding a rally and conference at the Suffolk County Boat Show in Brentwood on Saturday, February 23 and will gather signatures for an initiative to remove the Salt Water Fishing License Fee now being charged to Suffolk County Residents.  The rally will be at 1 pm.

School Board Puts Bond Back on the Agenda

Last year the residents of Riverhead voted down the $123 million dollar bond issue requested by the school board.  The board has suggested that it has not given up on the bond and will probably reintroduce a similar bond referendum next year.  This despite the fact that residents in many states across the country can no longer handle the school taxes or school budgets without some relief from the unions.  Riverhead has already indicated that a school tax increase is on the way.  Albany has already made it known that it intends to seriously reduce the amount of school aid for all districts.

High School Principal Moving On

Riverhead High School Principal David Zimbler will leave his post and take a new position in Nassau County's Westbury School District.  Zimbler will probably leave at the end of April.

Propane Buses for Riverhead

The transportation director for Riverhead schools unveiled two new propane driven school buses into a system of more than 106 vehicles.  The new transports, called Blue Bird, are expected to save fuel costs and are, of course, free of objectionable emissions.

New Budget- Hard Times For Some.

The new school budget for Riverhead is likely to reflect the huge loss of aid that usually comes from Albany.  Now even though the budget will require a tax levy of around 5.8% , the district is projecting a loss of some 40 employees now with the school system.  The 40 include 15 teachers and 4 administrators.

The lesson of the confrontation in Wisconsin is not lost on some of the  residents in the district.  There are some who are suggesting the need to make deeper cuts than proposed.

Levy Defeats Sex Offender Proposal.

The proposal to provide shelters around the county for sex offenders has been defeated by County Executive Steve Levy.  There had been only a single bidder to the idea,

Marty Haley Endorsed by Suffolk 9-12

Marty Haley, candidate for the Suffolk County Legislature (6th District) has been enthusiastically endorsed by the conservative Suffolk 9-12 Project.  Haley is vying for the legislative seat vacated by Dan Losquadro who was elected to the NY State Assembly when he defeated Marc Alessi.

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Cell Phone Violations - New Penalties

New laws regarding the use of cell phones while driving go into the books on February 17.  Look for heavier fines and a possible two (2) points on your license.  Be careful out there!

Library Budget Going Up Too!

Riverhead Library Director Lisa Jacobs has published the Library Budget for  2011-2012 and if it passes, will result in a 7.95% increase in a tax levy for the citizens of  the Riverhead library district. 

The increases are primarily from personnel costs including a 44% increase in retirement payments, double digit changes in health care insurance and some salary increases. 

A budget information meeting will be held at 7 pm on March 8 in the library.  Public voting on the library budget will be held on April 5, 10 am to 8 pm.

School Budget Tax Increase

While the school budget presented by Superintendent Nancy Carney shows a spending increase of approximately 3.28% or $3 million dollars, the tax levy, based on Carney's budget, will actually be 5.7% or $5.2 million dollars.  These figures are likely to change when Governor Cuomo's NY State budget is finalized.

Now thats what I call service! (click to enlarge)

School Superintendent Proposes
$111.8 Million Dollar Spending Plan

Riverhead School Superintendent Nancy Carney unveiled her proposed spending plan for the coming school year.  It calculates to a 3.28 % or $3 million dollar increase in spending for the 2011-2012 budget.

The spending plan includes a number of cuts but were not specified.  The bulk of the spending comes from funding retirement pensions and cost of living increases.  Utilizing the spending framework presented by the Superintendent, the School Board will now have to prepare a budget to be presented for approval by the public  in early May 2011.

The spending proposal is only part of the story of course.  All school districts are now awaiting a final budget determination by the Governor wherein he may cut $2.9 million dollars in aid to the Riverhead School District in order to close the gap on a 10 billion dollar statewide deficit.

A team of Long Island State Senators has vowed to fight the Governor on his budget cuts although Cuomo has received a lot of support even across party lines.

This school board must know that the public is reaching the breaking point when it comes to taxes and with 60 to 65% of the annual tax bill going to the school district there is likely to be strong resistance for an excessive tax rate. 

Prediction here: The budget  won't pass the first time round.

Cuomo Trying to Close Gap

Gov Cuomo is taking a lot of flak in his attempt to close an estimated 10 billion dollar budget and he is taking a first shot at the school budgets.

The Guv will slash 1.9 billion from schools statewide which is getting a lot of outrage from the school districts.

Riverhead for example, was expecting a cut in Albany funding but not the 16% or  2.9 million dollars that Cuomo's budget dictates.  The Riverhead Board had been working on a 3% budget increase before the major cuts were announced from Albany.  They will now have to recalculate their numbers and dig a little deeper to prevent a major tax increase.

LI Senators Vow to Fight Cuomo
The nine  state Senators from Long Island have vowed to stop the Cuomo budget and the devastating cuts it will bring to the Long Island Districts. 

Board Signs EPCAL Study

The Riverhead Town Board has approved signing of a contract with a consulting firm who will study the highest and best use of the former Grumman property.  The vote was 4 - 1 with John Dunleavy saying no to the proposal.

The proposal to spend $450,000 on the study is not without it's critics. Many feel that a previous study is still current and suitable as a guideline for future development, (and the study didn't cost anything).  It is strongly felt that this is not a good time to spend taxpayer's money on something that could be handled with good old fashioned common sense and intelligent planning.

As someone pointed out; the check hasn't been signed yet.  Disagree? Let the Town know. E-mail the Supervisor or anyone on the Board.



Reagan - "Tear Down This Wall"