The Village of Williston Park received a clean bill of financial health from its independent auditors, Nawrocki Smith, at Monday night’s village board meeting.
“All the funds in the village maintain a positive position,” said David Tellier, Nawrocki Smith partner, on the audit results.
As of May 31, the village had total assets of $12,888,382, total liabilities of $6,837,971 and net assets of $6,050,411, according to the audit report Tellier presented.
Total revenues for the year ending on May 31 were $7,217,288, with total expenses of $7,691,090 resulting in a deficit of $473,802.
“To almost meet the balance is very good,” Tellier said, adding that the net loss was in line with the village’s budget projections.
He said the village’s general fund had a fund balance of $1,268,319, representing a decrease of $172,498 over prior years. The village’s swimming pool fund was the only fund that showed a deficit at the end of the fiscal year, at $3,913.
Real property taxes represented 60.1 percent of village revenues in fiscal 2012, with charges for village services representing 31.5 percent of revenues.
Home and community services accounted for 37.2 percent of village expenses in fiscal 2012, followed by 25.7 percent for transportation costs, 20.4 percent for general government costs, 8.2 percent for public safety, 6.5 percent for culture and recreation and 2 percent for debt service.
Speaking about current expenses, Village of Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar said if the current fund balance of $1.2 million proves insufficient to cover current costs, including recovery costs related to Hurricane Sandy, the village might have to borrow money.
“Right now, we haven’t paid anybody,” Ehrbar said of costs from the storm clean-up, which included outside tree-clearing crews.
He said he didn’t know how quickly the village would be reimbursed for storm-related costs it is currently compiling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He estimated that FEMA would reimburse the village for 75 percent of costs incurred from the hurricane clean-up, with the state reimbursing 12.5 percent of costs.
He also said $4.5 million in village road repairs were needed and officials were considering a bond “at a reasonable rate” to cover a portion of those costs. He said doing all the roadwork at once might be a financial hardship on the village, with annual interest on a $1 million bond likely to cost $170,000 or $180,000.
“We need roadwork done. I can’t find money under any rocks,” Ehrbar said.
In other developments:
• Keith Bunnell, superintendent of the village Department of Public Works, said the village had lost 150 trees to the recent storms. He said that count was still mounting, with residents complaining about trees that still need to be removed. He said 120 tree stumps had been ground down, with 20 left to be done. Westbury-based Stasi Brothers Asphalt had completed concrete repairs to village curbs, he said.
• Ehrbar and the village board trustees each remarked on the recent school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Trustee Teresa Thomann exhorted residents to not let the memory of the tragedy fade, as she said typically has occurred in the aftermath of similar events.
“It shouldn’t lessen. It should be a call to action. We should not let this go,” she said.
• Deputy Mayor Kevin Rynne said the Williston Park Fire Department is seeking volunteers for its annual Operation Santa effort to deliver presents to residents’ homes on Christmas Eve. He said the Williston Park firefighters would be visiting 25 to 35 homes in the village, departing from fire department headquarters at 5:30 p.m.
