Mayor Michael Koblenz of East Hills Urges Amendment of Governor’s Budget to Reinstate Funding for Villages

Mayor Michael Koblenz has written to key government officials requesting that the same level of subsidies, given through the Aid and Incentives to Municipalities Funding (“AIM”) to municipalities in the past, be maintained in the present budget. The current budget eliminates substantial subsidies. For villages similar to East Hills, $34,000 in subsidies would be lost. The Mayor noted that the loss of funding severely impacts the revenue villages receive. Without this important stream of revenue, many other villages might have to cut services, programs, and possibly lay off employees to fill the budget gap. The Mayor went on to say that, “In effect, the shortfall from the State might have to be made up with an increase in property taxes in many villages, and on Long Island, taxes are already among the highest in the Nation. As costs in villages continue to rise, the loss of funds will be extremely detrimental.” East Hills, however, has had a zero increase in taxes for the past eight years.