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Babylon Village addresses tax levy By CHRISTIE LEIGH BABIRAD cbabirad@liherald.com
Courtesy Paul Mazza/Zone2 photography
Wyandanch firefighters rushed to the scene of a house fire on Cypress Street March 7, where one man died.
Resident dies in Wyandanch house fire; cause non criminal, police say By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad and Arson Section detectives are investigating a residential fire that killed a man in Wyandanch on Saturday, March 7. Police responded to 911 calls reporting a house fire at 30 Cypress Street, at approximately 1:50 p.m. Wyandanch firefighters arrived at the scene and put out the blaze. After the fire was extinguished, a person was found deceased in the home. The identity of the victim was not re-
leased. The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy performed by personnel from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. The victim was alone inside the residence at the time of the fire and no one else was injured, police said. Suffolk County Police said late last week that detectives believe the cause of the fire to be non-criminal in nature, and the cause is still under investigation. Efforts to reach a representative of Wyandanch Fire Department for comment were unsuccessful.
A proposed tax levy law and a measure to establish a Façade Improvement Board in the Village of Babylon drew a crowd at the Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 24, with Mayor Mary Adams saying the discussion was meant to address misinformation circulating on social media. “I think if someone put the winning lottery numbers out, I don’t think I would even believe it on a Facebook page,” Adams said at the meeting. “So, we are here to clarify.” The first item discussed was a local law regarding the village’s tax levy. Adams stressed that the discussion was not a budget meeting, noting that the village budget has not yet been finalized. She then introduced Village Treasurer Andrew Reichel to explain the proposal. Reichel said the tax levy law — commonly referred to as a tax cap override — has become a routine step municipalities take each year. “A number of years ago the state passed a general municipal law that requires us to limit our tax levy increases,” Reichel said. “The reason why we are adopting this local law is if when we’re putting together the budget, we make a determination that we need to pierce the tax cap, which is limited to ei-
ther the rate of inflation or two percent, whichever is lower, then we are able to pierce the tax cap.” Reichel emphasized that approving the law does not mean the village intends to exceed the cap. “This is more of a precautionary thing that covers the village with regards to what our budget will potentially be,” he said. Trustee Jeff Szabo echoed that the budget process is still underway. “We just ask that the residents be patient,” Szabo said. “As Andrew mentioned, we’re in the initial development of the budget and we are all very mindful of village taxes.” The board later voted to adopt the law at the regular meeting, and it will take effect after it is filed with the New York Secretary of State. The board also discussed a law establishing a Façade Improvement Board, which Adams described as a way to support improvements in the village’s downtown business district. The concept, she said, is to assist longtime businesses in updating their storefronts and properties. As an example, Adams referenced the redevelopment of Lo-Man’s Outdoor Store, where plans call for retail space on the ground floor and offices above. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5