Welcome to the Village of Asharoken. We are located on the North Shore of Long Island in western Suffolk County, New York.
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Asharoken Village Hall
1 Asharoken Avenue
Asharoken, NY 11768
631-261-7098
** Check our News & Notices section for local area events (and events at both Public Libraries). **
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Message from Asharoken Mayor Greg Letica:
March 26, 2024
Dear Neighbors:
I am pleased to provide you with a copy of the tentative budget and supporting documents for the fiscal year ending May 31st, 2025. The budget proposes a 2.06% rise in village taxes and a tax levy of $1,815,928, which is $8,566 below the NYS 2% Tax Cap Levy Law. During the 12 years I have been Mayor the average annual tax increase has been 0.969% and the Village has never exceeded the tax cap. In seven of those years, there was no tax increase.
The Village maintains a very strong financial position with a robust cash balance and extremely well-funded reserve accounts. For nine years, the Office of State Comptroller has performed a Fiscal Stress test on local governments. Each year Asharoken was awarded the highest possible rating, "No Designation."
After thorough review of the budget, it was determined that a modest increase in taxes was unavoidable because of higher costs of contractual obligations and other expenses that are mandated by outside agencies. It was not possible to offset all of these increases through cost savings or higher revenue. Fortunately, as a result of the recent construction boom in Asharoken, the Village assessment roll grew helping reduce the tax increase. The tentative budget will maintain all the services that the Village provides for its residents and reserves money for future needs.
These are a few notable changes to next year's budget.
REVENUE: Interest and Fines/Forfeitures increased. Mortgage tax revenue decreased due to fewer real estate sales in Suffolk County.
EXPENSES: The cost of Police salary and Fire/EMS/Paramedic services with the Northport Fire District increased because of contractual obligations. Health Insurance Costs rose impactfully. Police retirement costs increased significantly. All nonpolice personnel received a 3% cost of living adjustment and Assessor costs rose. Additionally, multiple operating costs went up. Cost savings were realized in Professional Fees, Engineer, Police Equipment, and Marine Police.
SEAWALL: Money was allocated to pay for engineering fees with the cost fully offset by grant and reserve funds.
I thank Clerk Michelle Glennon and Treasurer Emily Hayes for helping prepare this budget. Emily's work on the last sixteen budgets and Michelle's rapidly growing knowledge of the budget process allowed the Village to construct its financial plan very proficiently.
A public hearing on the budget will be held at the regularly scheduled Board Meeting on April 9th at 6:30 pm. You can email your comments or questions to me at gletica@asharokenny.org before the hearing or speak at the meeting. Any emailed comments or questions will be addressed at the meeting and will become part of the official record.
Here is the Tentative Budget Packet for the fiscal year ending May 31st, 2025. A copy can also be viewed at Village Hall.
I have pulled out one paragraph below which I want to make sure you see:
This afternoon the Board of Trustees held a work session to review the tentative budget. After a thorough review, I am pleased to report that the BOT agreed to accept the tentative budget with a 2.06% tax increase and a tax levy of $8,566 below the NYS 2% tax cap limit. The tax increase is primarily caused by large increases in some of the Village's biggest expense categories over which it has no control. Over the twelve years that I have been mayor, the Village has averaged an annual 0.969% tax increase and for seven of those years, there was no increase. A public hearing will be held at the April 9th BOT meeting before the adoption of the budget. On March 26th the detailed budget will be sent to everyone on the Village email list, and be available for review here at asharoken.com and at Village Hall. The BOT looks forward to your comments.
Have a great day!
Mayor Dr. Gregory Letica
Board of Assessment Review Minutes, March 18
The Asharoken Board of Assessment held its annual review, aka Grievance Day, on March 18. 24 grievance applications were submitted for the 2024-2025 assessment
roll and were reviewed.
LEGAL NOTICE:
Request for Proposals,
Road Paving and Striping
The Village is seeking Requests for Proposals from
qualified entities for the paving and striping of a portion of Asharoken Avenue, and the paving of a portion of Bevin Road.
To view the full schedule of Board of Trustees meetings, click on "Government" above, then "Trustees Meetings" or
click here.
Except as otherwise noted, all regular Board of Trustees meetings are held at 6:30pm at Asharoken Village Hall, 1 Asharoken Avenue, Asharoken, NY. Special/Work Session meetings are generally held in the afternoon. All meetings are open to the public.
January, February 2024 Meeting Minutes
The following meeting minutes of the Asharoken Board of Trustees are now online:
Minutes are posted on this website as they become available.
Contact the Village Clerk if you have any questions.
Archived minutes, as well as the full Board of Trustees meeting schedule, can be found by clicking on "Government" above, then "Trustees Meetings" or
click here.
Message from Asharoken Mayor Greg Letica:
March 15, 2024
Dear Neighbors:
I would like to apologize for the rescheduling of several meetings this month. There was a perfect storm of unforeseen circumstances that made it impossible for the Board to convene with a quorum for any of these meetings. Fortunately, these issues have been resolved and the adjourned meetings will take place next week:
Board of Assessment Review (Grievance Day)
Monday, March 18
9am-1pm
Budget Workshop
Tuesday, March 19
4pm
March BOT Meeting
Tuesday, March 19
6:30pm
The Budget Workshop is to review the tentative budget with the Board and finalize it for a public hearing at the April BOT meeting. There will be no public session or comment period at the workshop meeting.
I would like to remind everyone that the Village does cardboard recycling every second Wednesday. Please put cardboard out for pickup only on those days and please do not commingle it with regular trash.
If you are planning on doing improvements around your house such as but not limited to: construction, tree removal, erecting a fence, demolition, excavation and fill, putting up a tent, installing a generator, installing a swimming pool, installing solar panels, converting to gas service, paving a driveway, please contact Village Hall at 631-261-7098 and find out from the village clerk if you need a permit.
We have had a great week of spring weather. Now is the time to start looking for the return of the Village's Osprey population. They usually return sometime next week.
I would like to wish everyone a very Happy St Patrick's Day. Have a nice weekend.
Mayor Dr. Gregory Letica
Soles 4 Souls
Soles4Souls is conducting their annual shoe drive. Please drop your gently used shoes in the donation box located in Village Hall, Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm. The shoe drive ends March 30.
There are a few important things of which I would like to keep you informed.
The Village has commenced work on the budget for fiscal year 2024-25 which begins June 1st. The last 11 budgets that I have presented as Mayor of the Village have averaged less than a 1% annual tax increase and at one point we had seven consecutive years without any tax increase at all.
Although it is still early in the process, it is anticipated that the tax levy will remain below the NYS Tax Cap but the percentage increase may be higher than we have had in the recent past. The estimated range of the tax increase is 4-6%. Several factors are driving the budget in this direction:
On the revenue side the Village expects a significant drop in Mortgage Tax revenue but also expects to be able to compensate for this with projected increases in both Interest Income, Fines and Forfeited Bail.
The expense side of the budget is projecting many substantial increases that are contractual or determined by outside agencies. The police salary is contractually obligated to go up 3% by $37,627, while the Police retirement contribution is going up $41,000, a 21% increase, a number determined by New York State. Other increases include 2% on Fire Protection up $9,000, 10% on Health Insurance and 34% on State Retirement. Unfortunately, the Village has no control over these budget fluctuations.
The Village has and will continue to undertake a thorough evaluation of all line items that are under its direct control but the previously mentioned cost increases are in categories that represent approximately 66% of the annual Village expenses. This makes it very difficult to compensate in the remaining line items, many of which are locked in as well. I will keep you abreast as the situation becomes more focused. Prior to the end of March, the Village will email a full copy of the tentative budget to its residents, post a copy on the website and have one available for review at Village Hall. As always, your input will be solicited and appreciated at a public hearing in April prior to the adoption of the budget.
Another major factor which may impact the percentage increase in the taxes is how the Village is able to cope with a substantial number of tax assessment challenges. This year there are many requests, including one from Sandpiper Farm, the 400 acre parcel of land that was designated an Agricultural District by the Suffolk County Legislature in August of 2012. The outcome of these assessment challenges may have significant bearing on the increase in the tax rate. As it has always done in the past, this administration will do all it can to minimize these impacts.
Lastly, National Grid has applied with the Army Corps of Engineers to renew its 10 year permit to dredge and place 45,000 cubic yards of sand on the Sound side beach every three years.
Wishing you a great day!
Mayor Dr. Gregory Letica
A Note from the Mayor — Very sad news:
February 8, 2024
Dear Neighbors,
This morning, I write to you with a very heavy heart to inform you of the passing of Barry Bradley. He was a multi-decade resident of Asharoken who also served as its Sanitation Operator and Deputy Harbor Master for almost 40 years.
Everyone who met Barry was immediately charmed by his big smile and outgoing personality. He was a kind, gentle person who never had a bad thing to say about anyone. He had such a positive outlook on life. When you asked him how he was doing he would look at you, smile and say Exxxxxcellent! .
Barry was a remarkable person. He worked as the Sanitation Operator into his late 70s. This was a job that most people, at any age, would not have been able to do based on its physical demands. He always had time to stop and chat with residents along the route and took care of "Big Blue" the same way he took care of his own cars. Barry also served as both a Asharoken Harbor Master, a Town of Huntington Bay Constable and was a board member of the New York State Bay Constables Association. Barry was an avid boater, gardener and skier.
I have so many fond memories of Barry. He loved parties and was always the first person to send in his RSVP for the Asharoken Holiday Party. He made it a tradition to close his sanitation report at the BOT meeting with the monthly weather forecast. When superstorm Sandy hit the Village, Barry, assisted by Village resident Mike Turner, made sure the mess was cleaned up. He and I always enjoyed talking about boating, skiing, and birds. He was a man on the move who occasionally actually found a few minutes to sleep. He lived a vibrant and dynamic life. And he loved the Asharoken lifestyle.
At the same time Barry was a devoted family man. He and his wife Catherine raised two children, Landregan and Barry Roy. He also cherished his role as grandfather to Harlow and Mattix.
A wake will be held at the Nolan Taylor funeral home on Friday, February 9th from 2 to 4pm and 6 to 8pm.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Philip Neri Church in Northport on Saturday, February 10th at 11am.
My condolences go out to Catherine, Landregan, her husband Dean, Harlow and Mattix, as well as Brad and his wife Tammy. We all have lost a dear friend and a pillar of our community. The Village will never be quite the same again. In Barry's honor I have asked that the flag at Village Hall be flown at half-mast.
In recent days, many Asharoken residents have received email and/or text solicitations to join a so-called "neighborhood application" called Nextdoor. The Village of Asharoken and the asharoken.com website have absolutely no affiliation with Nextdoor, and neither recommend nor sanction its use.
Residents should be aware that the process of joining Nextdoor is extremely invasive and involves revealing your email address, birthdate, name and address. In addition, the Nextdoor app has a very questionable reputation, with users experiencing phony posts from fake residents, Internet scams, fraud, and overall malfeasance while using it. The Better Business Bureau gives Nextdoor a customer rating of 1 out of 5 stars, and has logged many hundreds of complaints against the company.
I strongly suggest that residents not install the Nextdoor app on their devices, and avoid Nextdoor in general. If you've already installed the app, it might be best to delete it now.
Regards,
asharoken.com Webmaster Eric Maffei
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This website is dedicated to the memory of Steven Trombetti
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