The Village of Roslyn will use its next public meeting, set for Tuesday night, April 18, as a hearing for the 2000-2001 budget. The village recently released preliminary budget figures. Total appropriations were estimated to reach $3.8 million.

Estimated revenue other than real estate taxes was set at $929,100. The Tax Certiorari Appropriated Reserve Fund was estimated at $530,000 and the Appropriated Fund Balance at $140,000. This left $2,291,410 to be raised in real estate taxes. That number represents a 14 percent real estate tax increase from the 1999-2000 budget.

As has been the case in recent years, the budget tries to hold the line on spending. The largest segment of the budget, the General Government Support expenditures, was set at $1.414 million, up slightly from last year's $1.318 in spending.

From that budget, there is a decrease in Board of Trustee spending, from $44,800 to $28,400. The Village Justice office's budget will increase from $107,791 to $110,950, as will the Clerk Treasurer's budget, from $175,746 to $191,800. The budget for the Engineers office drops from $50,700 to $35,000. Other decreases come from the Village Hall budget, falling slightly from $71,500 to $70,500.

The Special Items budget, which includes Insurance, Hempstead Harbor protection, Downtown Revitalization, and the Environmental Protection Grant, increases from $663,729 to $768,300. Budgets for the Mayor's office, the Auditor, and the Village Attorney will remain exactly the same from last year's numbers.

There is also a small increase in the Public Safety budget, with this year's total reaching $464,402, up from $458,977 in 1999-2000. The Fire Department budget, part of public safety, increases slightly from $331,257 to $336,202. The Safety Inspection segment of that same budget has an increase of less than $1,000.

The Culture & Recreation budget will see no increase from last year's budget numbers. Finally, both the Transportation and Home & Community Services budget are set for modest increases. The Transportation budget increases from $377,183 to $406,710. There is a decrease in the Off Street Parking segment of the budget, while numbers for Snow Removal are scheduled to remain the same. Most of the increases come in Streets and Sidewalks outlays.

Increases in the Home & Community Services budget would come almost entirely from Sewer System outlays, an increase from $475,000 to $555,000. Other segments of that budget---Zoning, the Historic Board, the Planning Board, Solid Waste Disposal, and Shade Trees---contain the same spending totals as the 1999-2000 budget.

On the revenue side, the village expects a slight decrease in Sewer Rental revenues, but a $50,000 increase in Building Permit revenues, plus those from mortgage taxes. The $530,000 in the Tax Certiorari reserve is down from the $546,029 the village hopes to collect for the fiscal year nearing its end.

During the recently completed village trustee election, candidates from both parties expressed a strong desire to hold the line on spending. Real estate taxes, which the victorious Roslyn Community Party claimed was one area of revenue that local residents could have an impact, was also a major issue.