Budget Adopted for Rye Town Park; Expenditures Reduced, Revenue Expectations Up

Rye Town Park adopted a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year at its Tuesday meeting.

The Town of Rye will contribute an estimated $42,505 toward capital expenses and the City of Rye, $27,495.

Rye Mayor Doug French said Wednesday that since the capital contribution is less than the amount the council allocated for Rye Town Park in the City of Rye's 2012 budget, there would be no need to reopen the matter.

"The City allocates in its budget $75,000 to cover any operating loss or capital improvements at the park as part of our obligation with the park," said Mayor French. "Anything over and above that amount for capital, we would bring to the City Council." 

The new budget figures are a modest increase from 2011 when estimated figures show the town kicked in just over $8,000 and the city slightly more than $5,000; but it is a drastic reduction from 2010 when the Town of Rye spent nearly $611,000 and the City of Rye about $395,000 on Rye Town Park. 

Since that time, Rye Town Supervisor Joe Carvin has been aggressive about slashing the park budget wherever possible and raising efficiencies in expenditures.

Revenue expectations were adjusted upward from last year's budget. The 2012 budget anticipates an approximate $70,000 increase in revenue largely from beach admission fees. Last year, unusually extreme weather events such as Hurricane Irene and more rainfall days may have taken a toll on park attendance.

On the expenditure side, the 2012 budget anticipates a bit more than $46,000 in savings from last year's figures

The budget allocation for parking cashiers is slightly reduced, from nearly $89,000 to just under $85,000. Wages for the park director has been increased by approximately 2 percent.

Labor projects have also been shifted to an outside contractor. Greenway Landscaping has been contracted at a cost of $31,000 for the upcoming year. 

Check out the 2012 Rye Town Park budget and let Rye Patch know what you think. Will you be using Rye Town Park this season?

Update, 11:10 p.m. A sentence characterizing the budget summary as zeroing out has been deleted.