MONTICELLO – The Monticello village budget for the next 12 months faces a public hearing and possible village board vote today (Thursday), but the cash strapped municipality still faces financial problems.
The spending plan will exceed the two percent tax cap and as of now, the village is facing a $1.5 million deficit, said Mayor Rochelle Massey.
She attributes that to overspending.
“If you wanted to raise our taxes two percent, we are on a tax cap of two percent, how do you give four percent, six percent for increases in salaries. It just doesn’t jive,” she said.
Many of those salaries are set in union contracts and cannot be reduced at present.
The mayor said there will have to be some cuts in order to balance the budget.
