The board of trustees for the Village of Roslyn Estates have passed their own budget for the fiscal year 2001-2002. In addition to achieving a balanced budget, real estate taxes remain unchanged from the previous fiscal year. The budget totals $997,311, with real estate taxes accounting for $771,620 in revenue. Such taxes will stay at 10.78 percent per $100 of assessed real estate value.

From the spending side, the fire service budget comes to $153,000. Other items in a similar range include sanitation collection ($125,000) and services pertaining to the streets department budget ($163,000). The village will spend $83,650 on a debt service budget, plus $75,000 on various attorney functions. The clerk treasurers budget comes to $57,200. All other items are in the $30,000 or less category.

As in other villages, real estate taxes make up the major bulk in revenue collections. Other revenue comes from interest on deposits ($35,000), permit fees ($30,000), an electric gross receipts tax ($16,000), and a state aid mortgage tax ($15,000).

In other Roslyn Estates news, a new sewer district has been created for 25 homes in neighborhoods in The Birches, The Maples, and The Intervale area of the village. The Nassau County legislature recently voted to allow the connection of the sewer district to the county. Residents in the 25 homes will pay for the system. It will operate at no cost to the county or to other Roslyn Estates residents not part of the new district.

The village had been working for several years to alleviate the problem. In addition to the legislation, the village had already obtained a low-interest loan through the New York State Environmental Facility Corporation to get the district started. Village officials said that Craig Johnson, who represents Roslyn Estates in county legislature, was instrumental in getting the bill through that body. On April 23, Village Mayor Susan Ben-Moshe and Village Engineer Richard Weber testified on the need for the new sewer district to the Public Works Committee, which was handling the legislation. Two weeks later, on May 7, the bill was approved by the full legislature.

The new district is needed to deal with a soil composition problem that crops up throughout the Roslyn area. The topography, village officials said, sometimes makes it difficult to keep cesspools working efficiently. In addition, the poor soil composition makes it hard for water to percolate through the dirt. Because of that, sewer systems tend to fail early, creating problems for homeowners.

In fact, village officials, especially Mayor Ben-Moshe, took action after a local resident had spent a great deal of his own money to deal with his sewage problem. The mayor then took the lead in both creating the new district and lobbying for its approval from the county legislature.