Town to Adopt 2013 Budget Thursday

The Huntington Town Board is holding a special meeting on Thursday at 9 a.m. in Town Hall to adopt Supervisor Frank Petrone's proposed 2013 budget.

Included within the $181.7 million budget are provisions for increases in parking and waste management fees and HART bus fare, as well as salary raises for town board members. Layoffs are also being considered.

During a public hearing in October, residents reacted strongly against the – from $50 a year to $600 a year – for a guaranteed parking space in the town-owned parking garage at the Huntington LIRR station, particularly in the light of proposed salary increases for town board members.

Councilmen Mark Mayoka and Gene Cook also opposed the fee increases and $8 million in additional spending. They re-formed the Budget Task Force and proposed a 10 percent pay cut for all town board members.

Petrone said his budget strives to maintain programs and services with marginal increases in spending and taxes, although "difficult choices" had to be made because cost saving opportunities such as blue collar attrition, cutting non-personnel related costs, and implementing salary freezes are no longer viable options.

There will be no public session at Thursday's meeting. The board will consider input from public hearings and the commuter parking fee increase surveys sent in October as they weigh possible changes in the 2013 budget, said Town Spokesperson AJ Carter.

See the full meeting agenda attached as a PDF to this article.