Islip Town Board OKs Budget With No Tax Increase

The Islip Town Council approved the town's 2011 budget that calls for a zero percent increase in property taxes, but that fact did little to lessen the acrimony between Republican Councilman and Democratic .

At the final public budget hearing Thursday at Islip Town Hall, the town council approved the $117 million spending plan 4-1 with Flotteron casting the lone no vote. Nolan along with fellow Democrats and and Republican voted to approve the budget.

Throughout the meeting Flotteron peppered Town Comptroller Joseph Ludwig with questions about what he felt were discrepancies in the actual total dollar figure of Islip's payroll, and also about certain budget line increases he felt were unnecessary. The councilman presented documentation he said showed that while the number of town employees has dropped about 25 percent since 2006, the actual payroll costs in the town have stayed relatively flat at about $58 million.

However, Ludwig and Nolan disagreed with Flotteron's assertion.

During his budget presentation to the town board, the comptroller showed a slide that indicated the town's payroll has been reduced from $49.7 million in 2007 to slightly more than $45 million this year. Ludwig said during the presentation that Flotteron might not be accounting for things such as benefits, retirement incentives and step increases when looking at the town payroll figures the councilman was citing.

Nolan stood steadfast in his position that the cuts in payroll implemented by the town in recent years has led to cost savings. "Through very stringent accountability and management since I have been [town supervisor] we have effectively cut overtime and reduced the workforce 25 percent," he told Patch.

Flotteron also voiced concerns about what he said were spending increases of $291,000 in several departments including public information, custodial bureau, central mail services and central data processing. While the total dollar figure is small when compared to the total size of the budget, the councilman said it's his job and the job of the other council members to question any spending increase.

"Like any family that is looking at their budget, if you can find a dime here and a dime there to save, suddenly that equals dollars," he said. "I feel there are places that can be cut and perhaps we could have had a decrease in taxes at a time when the incomes of our residents are not growing and in some case dropping."

While Flotteron took issue with increases across a number of budget lines—such as the $60,000 increase for postage—he charged that additional funding in the town's public information office's budget, that includes $34,700 for the hiring of a neighborhood aide and a $20,000 boost for printing and advertising, was done to help Nolan in a year when the supervisor will be seeking re-election.

"He started doing this two years ago with his TV show that was all about him," Flotteron charged. "We have spent less in advertising in recent years and there is no reason why we need to increase this budget line."

In response, Nolan said, "That is really the pot calling the kettle black. He just hired the former town photographer to work in his office as an aide. Someone should ask [Flotteron] if that person has taken a picture of him yet."

Flotteron did say he recently hired the town's former photographer to work in his office, and that the individual in question will also split time working in Town Clerk Regina Duffy's office as well. Flotteron and Duffy are sharing the cost for the individual's salary, which is less than $40,000 annually.