The Board of Trustees of the Village of Massapequa Park this week hammered out a fiscal year 2000-2001 budget of approximately $4.8 million that increases property taxes by 4.8 percent.

The board reached an unofficial consensus on the plan, proposed by Mayor Camillo Giannattasio, during executive session Monday night. Following state review, the board will vote on whether to adopt the budget on April 17.

The fiscal plan raises spending by 9.2 percent, and Giannattasio said Tuesday that it includes the use of some surplus funds to hold the tax increase well below that figure. About $501,000 of the fund balance will be used, leaving about $800,000 in the bank. The major reason for the increase in spending, according to Giannattasio, is a rise in fixed expenses, particularly those associated with the operation of the newly renovated village hall.

"Everyone's expenses went up," he said, pointing for example to the recent increase in the price of oil and gas. The modernization of village hall brings such new expenses as computer maintenance, which is estimated at about $650 per month, Giannattasio noted, adding, "The maintenance of this modern building is going to be all expenses we've never faced before."

The village will also face large interest and principal payments next year on $4 million in Bond Anticipation Notes (BANs) and other bond money borrowed for village improvement projects, such as the $1.4 million project to buy property for a sand and salt storage facility, and $1.3 million allocated for road repair, according to the mayor.

Giannattasio said that Massapequa Park is proposing a tax increase that is among the lowest of Nassau County villages this year, and noted that Freeport and Hempstead, for example, are increasing taxes by 8 and 10 percent, respectively.

The mayor described Massapequa Park's budget as "bare bones" and the tax increase as moderate. "I think the people will understand, because they're going to see things getting done now. We're going to be using that BAN money to start building that sand and salt storage shed. They're going to see Park Boulevard improvements from the BAN - we have $35,000 for that - to start fixing up Park Boulevard on a block by block basis. They're going to see their money at work," he said. "They'll see this village being rebuilt, and renovated, but it costs money."

The property tax rate associated with the proposed budget is $7.10 per $100 of assessed valuation, up from $6.78 per $100 last year. This increase follows last year's 10 percent jump, from $6.15 to $6.78 per $100.

As the village board prepares to raise local taxes, in a gesture of political good faith, they have forfeited the annual cost of living salary increases for elected and appointed officials. They adopted a law eliminating the automatic increases during their March 27 meeting.

The officials are also working to make it easier for residents to pay their taxes. On March 27, they adopted a law to allow the payment of village taxes by credit card, which goes into effect in June of 2001, when the software to enable it will be ready. In addition, on April 24, they will vote on a proposed local law to allow senior citizens on fixed incomes to pay their village taxes in halves.