After eliminating a proposed 7.5 percent tax increase from its preliminary budget, the Roslyn Village Board of Trustees voted on and passed their 1999-2000 budget. The budget's final appropriation number was $3,034,483 with a zero tax increase.

The BOT was divided on the final vote, with Deputy Mayor Nolan Myerson and Trustees John Durkin and Marshall Bernstein voting aye. Mayor Janet Galante and Trustee Louise McCann voted against the budget.

The village hall was filled to capacity for the special session held last Monday night. Members of local civic associations, including Roslyn Pines and Marchant Park showed up to oppose both the tax increase and a proposed salary hike for the mayor's office. The preliminary budget proposed a pay increase from $1,800 to $12,500 for the mayor. The final budget cut the increase down to $5,400 per annum. More specific numbers will be included in next week's edition of the Roslyn News.

In other news, BOT members, at the village's April 20 meeting, expressed a desire to permanently repair the retaining wall by the Jolly Fisherman restaurant on Roslyn Road. The wall collapsed four years ago and since then, a temporary repair has kept the structure up. The BOT hopes to hire the contracting firm of Sidney Baum and Co. to do the final repair work. The final cost, BOT members noted, will be determined by the contractor, but estimates are currently in the $300,000 range.

A decision to prohibit commercial vehicles from parking on Bedells Landing and Skillman Street in downtown Roslyn is currently before the Village Board of Zoning Appeals. Once the BZA finishes hearing all parties involved, the BOT will make their final decision on the matter.

At the meeting, Deputy Mayor Nolan Myerson noted that the board had received letters from residents complaining about "wrecked cars" from Carriage Works still being on Skillman Street. Carriage Works is located on 20 Skillman Street and such complaints prompted the BOT to consider the new law. Jill Brown, wife of the Carriage Works proprietor, said in fact that no wrecked vehicles from Carriage Works had been parked on Skillman.

Lester Arstark, the village's liaison to the Nassau County police, reported on truck activity in the village and gang activity in Nassau County. Mr. Arstark said that the number of trucks passing through Roslyn with violations have gone down "considerably" in recent months. He speculated that the truck drivers either knew they were being watched as they drove through the village or that they simply had made improvements to their vehicles.

Starting last fall and winter, the village, working in conjunction with New York State Troopers and New York State Department of Transportation Traffic Control Inspectors set aside several days for random inspections on trucks traveling through Roslyn. More than half the trucks inspected were found to be in violation of various local codes and ordinances. Recently, up to 13 truck drivers showed up at the village hall to pay fines incurred from those inspections. Mr. Arstark said the inspection program will continue.

In his discussion with Nassau County police on gang activity in the county, Mr. Arstark learned that there is "less public flaunting of the law" by gangs in the county. But such gangs, which according to police are mostly made up of Latin American immigrants, "have gone underground" with the police still trying to gain control of the new situation. Although this is not a real problem in the Roslyn area, Mr. Arstark said local residents should be "alert of suspicious activities" and report them to the police.