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Fire districts to hold budget hearings Oct. 16

The five fire districts in the Riverhead area will all be having public hearings on their proposed 2019 budgets on Tuesday, Oct. 16. 

The hearings are required before the budget can be approved, and all of the hearings are held at each district’s respective fire headquarters. The fire district is a taxing district run by commissioners who are elected by the public in December and who set the budget for the fire departments, which are largely volunteer.

Below is a breakdown by district. 

Riverhead

The Riverhead Fire District will hold a hearing Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at the firehouse at 540 Roanoke Ave. 

The proposed 2019 budget called for a $4.72 million tax levy, which is a 1.8 percent increase over the 2018 budget of $4.64 million.

Jamesport

The budget hearing in Jamesport starts at 7 p.m. in the firehouse at 25 Manor Lane in Jamesport. 

The proposed 2019 budget carries a tax levy ofg $815,839, a two-percent increase over the current years’ $799,793 tax levy.

Wading River

The Oct. 16 budget hearing will start at 7 p.m. in the firehouse at 1503 North Country Road. 

The 2019 proposed budget will has a tax levy of $3.124 million, up 18.18 percent over the current tax levy of $2.643 million. 

The district is split between Riverhead and Brookhaven towns, and the proposed  tax levy increase is 19.4 percent in Riverhead and 16.1 percent in Brookhaven.

It was unclear how the budget relates to the state’s 2 percent tax cap. The cap allows for some exemptions, which might put the increase over the 2 percent figure. In addition, a board could also simply vote to exceed the cap with a majority vote.

District officials could not be reached for comment.

Manorville

The Oct. 16 budget hearing will start at 7 p.m. in the firehouse at 14 Silas Carter Road in Manorville.

The proposed 2019 budget has a tax levy of $1.826 million, which is up 2.9 percent from the 2018 budget of $1.773 million. The increase complies with the 2 percent cap because because the 2.9 percent includes rental income and payments in lieu of taxes, which do not count toward the cap, according to district secretary and treasurer Donna Leotta.

Manorville also is split between Brookhaven and Riverhead towns, with the bulk of the district being in Brookhaven. The fire district does not have a breakdown yet of the tax levy in each town. 

Flanders

The Oct. 16 budget hearing will start at 7 p.m. in the firehouse at 19 Firehouse Lane, which is off Flanders Road.

The 2019 proposed budget called for a $596,400 tax levy, 1.9 percent tax levy increase over the current year’s budget of $582,400. Additional information was not available. 

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