_______ Lynbrook/east rockaway ______
April 6, 2023
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Vol. 30 No. 15
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E. Rockaway boy is expert fundraiser By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com
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Courtesy Annie Petraro
nstead of playing in the virtual universe of Roblox in his free time, East Rockaway 10-year-old Joseph Petraro seeks out ways to help those who are less fortunate. Recently, Petraro has been helping out Jane Marczewski’s charity, the Nightbirde Foundation, after her death from cancer last year. In support of Marczewski, also known as Nightbirde, and another friend who also died of cancer last year, Petraro shaved his head on March 25. But Petraro’s selflessness doesn’t stop there. He recently published a book about Nightbirde, with all the proceeds going to the Foundation. “He promised Jane that he was going to write a book about her,” Annie Petraro, Joseph’s mom, said. “When she was sick, Joseph raised money and sent it to her for her treatments.”
JosEPH PETRARo, cHIld philanthropist, hosting a Nets game.
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Lynbrook proposes budget with 3.35% tax increase By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com
Taxes in the Village of Lynbrook are proposed to rise 3.35 percent after the mayor and board of tr ustees met on March 27 to review the proposed 2023-24 budget. The 112th village budget takes into account inflation and a possible recession. It is uncertain whether the tax increase will pierce the state tax cap. According to Mayor Alan Beach, that will be determined when the budget is finalized. This spending plan, and the one approved last year, were
heavily influenced by inflation. “Lynbrook’s five-year average tax rate increase has been a modest 2.1 percent, which has matched the inflation rate for the region,” Beach said. “The re g i o n’s ( C o n s u m e r P r i c e Index) for 2022 is 6.2 percent, and inflation, although a challenge, is fortunately on the decline.” According to Budget Officer John Giordano, the proposed tax increase will “sustain services, despite the re gion’s record high 6.4 percent inflation rate in 2022.” The Lynbrook school district represents 60 percent of the total taxes. Village taxes are about
32 percent, and general taxes are 8 percent. T he budg et was broken down into several categories, with police protection getting the lion’s share of spending, 46 percent, while 26 percent would go to the Highway Department, 6 percent to the Fire Department, 5 percent to recreation and 4 percent to the library. The remaining money, about 10 percent, will go to courts, the Building Department, and the village government and administration. The proposed budget totals $47.6 million, an increase of about $2 million over the current year. “For this budget, rev-
enues were supplemented by surplus revenues,” Giordano said. “We conservatively project a June 1, 2023, unappropriated fund balance sur plus reserve of 17.1 percent, $8.2 million, to improve bond ratings, lower debt costs, stabilize taxes, and reduce reliance on short term borrowings.” The reserve fund for the pro-
posed budget is about $700,000 less than this year’s fund, but it will still provide much-needed financial support for the village. “Reserve funds are established for stabilizing future tax rate increases,” Beach said. In this fund, about $375,000 in building permit fees will go toward the redevelopment of 47 Continued on page 10