Following the lead of the Village of Roslyn and other municipalities, the Village of Roslyn Harbor board of trustees have voted to join The Village Energy Group of Nassau County, a cooperative designed to help local residents and businesses gain greater savings on gas and electric bills.

At their April 2 meeting, BOT members briefly discussed the issue before voting to join up. Joining the cooperative gives the residents the ability to choose an energy supplier other than their current utility. Floral Park Mayor Steve Corbett and Lynbrook Mayor Eugene Scarpato, both of the Nassau County Village Officials Association claim the cooperative will allow residential customers to receive a 12.5 percent discount on natural gas and a 3.5 percent discount on electricity. Commercial and government customers will receive a 15 percent discount on natural gas and the same 3.5 percent discount on electricity.

Roslyn Harbor Mayor Gerson Strassberg said the cooperative presented a "win-win" situation for both the village and those residents who care to take part in the program. As with the contract the Village of Roslyn signed, Roslyn Harbor's membership takes effect June 1. The membership is for one year. In the meantime, the BOT also agreed to send a letter to all local residents for an informational meeting that was scheduled to be held last Tuesday, April 17.

At the same April 2 meeting, the BOT voted to approve the village's budget for the fiscal year 2000-2001. Mayor Strassberg noted that for the fifth consecutive year, the village managed to keep its tax rate at 4.94 percent, which, the mayor claimed, is the lowest in all of Nassau County. He added that the stability in the tax rate is "due to a penny pinching board...whom I admire."

The budget totals $502,260 in spending. For the revenues of that same amount, $352,420 come from property and franchise taxes, the rest comes from licenses and permits ($36,000), state aid ($30,500), interest earned ($25,500), fines ($22,000), utilities gross receipts tax ($20,000), and parking lot revenues ($13,300).

On the appropriations side, money will spent on fire protection ($135,000), village hall expenses ($75,420), a cumulative surplus fund ($69,000), legal expenses ($50,000), snow removal ($50,000), building inspection ($40,458), street maintenance ($40,000), employee benefits ($38,900), and a miscellaneous/contingency fund ($25,000).