The independent audit firm of Rynkar, Vail & Barrett completed the yearly audit of the village's finances, this time for the 2003-2004 fiscal year which began June 1, 2003 and ended May 31, 2004, and confirmed that the village ended that fiscal year with a positive fund balance of $342,000.

The positive fund balance is a far cry from the way the Village of Mineola closed out the 2002-2003 fiscal year when the independent audit firm found an operating deficit in the General Fund of $542,541.

According to the audit report, the village went from a budget deficit of $542,541 in 2002-2003 to a positive fund balance of $342,278 at the end of the 2003-2004 budget primarily because of "increase in revenue during 2003-2004." The 2003-2004 budget, which has given the village a positive fund balance, was the first under the administration of Mayor Jack M. Martins.

"This is basically the first fiscal report card for the Martins' administration and I think we came through with flying colors," said Deputy Mayor Larry Werther. "It's an amazing and welcome turnaround for the village. As a financial professional, I feel Mayor Martins should get straight A's."

Mayor Martins said he was happy with the audit, but did say the village has to continue to watch its spending while it continues to pay down its debt. "We have a legitimate fund balance, which was hard fought and hard won," Mayor Martins said. "We're budgeting the right way. We're budgeting conservatively. We're not taking on any additional responsibilities in debts during the year. I think people are beginning to get a sense that financially, the village is on the right track."

The audit report revealed just how big of a toll tax certiorari payments or tax refunds have had on the village. According to the report, the village has total liabilities of $35,832,545 with assets amounting to $29,906,578. That means the village has indebtedness of $5,925,967 that it has no assets to show for. A major part of which is borrowing to make tax certiorari payments over the years.

A main initiative of the Martins' administration was to put an end to borrowing for tax certiorari payments, which was accomplished in the 2003-2004 budget.

The village's outstanding debt that was accumulated prior to 2003-2004 continues to put a burden on the village's finances. Currently, $2.97 million or 25 percent of the village's General Fund tax base goes to paying debt.

"If we didn't incur all this debt, your tax bill would be 25 percent lower than it is right now," Mayor Martins said.

With the fund balance, Mayor Martins has asked village treasurer Richard Dwyer to come up with a recommendation on how much should be allocated to compensate for rising pension costs mandated by New York State. Mayor Martins said the two biggest burdens on the village's budget over the last two years have been paying down the debt and rising pension costs. The mayor estimates the village is paying $700,000 more for pension costs than it was paying just two years ago.

"It's not that our spending habits went up. It's that we have to now pay Albany [for pension costs] and pay for debt that we inherited," the mayor said.

The village board voted to award the bid to repair clear water well #4 to Crown Water Proofing for $158,000. The well must be repaired before it can be put back on line. Trustee Paul Cusato suggested the village should look into honoring the past mayors by putting their photos up in the village hall along with the years they served. Mayor Martins liked the idea and said part of the Centennial Anniversary Committee's responsibility is to decide on a way to honor past mayors. One thought was a wall of fame. The village and the historical society will be looking for old photos of former mayors and/or former presidents of Mineola. The community may have to help in locating old photos. Verizon is planning a system that can combine the Internet and television through fiber optics. Mineola would be only a handful of villages nationwide to receive the initial service. It would be an opportunity for the village to gain revenue since the village can negotiate franchise fees. About two weeks ago, steel beams were pounded into the ground on the north and south sides of the tracks at the Roslyn Road crossing for the grade crossing elimination project. Mayor Martins was concerned that work would take place at night. However, it was done during the daytime and there were no reported complaints. The project is expected to be dormant until early spring. Trustee Cusato reported that there are 400 kids in the PAL roller hockey program and the kids are enjoying the rinks, which were recently resurfaced. The rinks were resurfaced with a grant secured by state Senator Michael Balboni.

* Vincent Lupinacci said that politicians are quick to put election signs at an abandoned gas station on Roslyn Road and Jericho Turnpike, but they aren't so quick to take them down after the election.

Also, Mr. Lupinacci took exception from an NBC report from the courthouse in which the reporter said the report was coming from Mineola. Mr. Lupinacci said the courthouse and police headquarters are technically in Garden City as he expressed concern about Mineola's reputation.

"As far as I'm concerned, we have a beautiful village here," he said.

* Ex-Chief Walter Crosby expressed concern that cars are parking on Willis Avenue right up to the corner of Jefferson Avenue, making it very difficult to turn off on Jefferson Avenue.

The ex-chief also expressed concern over parts of 101 Jackson Avenue becoming an eyesore. The village had a problem with the terraces outside the apartments being used for storage.

* John Carroll expressed concern about traffic on Old Country Road. Mayor Martins said the village would continue to reach out to the police department in the hopes of getting additional coverage.

Mr. Carroll also suggested there should be some sort of follow-up at a meeting to public comments that are made. Mayor Martins said that would be appropriate, so that when a comment or inquiry is made, the village board can give the public an update.

* Bill Urianek said that he received a call about a bundle of papers picked up on a Monday by the village's sanitation workers. Newspaper pickups for the village are on Thursday. Mr. Urianek was trying to make the point that if newspapers are picked up with regular garbage, they add to the weight of the garbage. Mineola pays for garbage disposal by the ton. He stressed that it is wasting taxpayer money.

Mr. Urianek also inquired about the Cablevision insertion point. This will also allow the village to show its programming anytime on Channel 18. There is expected to be a list of events in the village shown the same time every week. Village Clerk Mike Arens was expected to receive training for the insertion point on Monday.