By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- A public hearing on the tentative 2015-2016 village budget drew mixed comments from an audience of about 20.

The spending plan comes with a proposed 5.9 percent tax levy increase, and some said they want to see that trimmed.

“Six percent, for me, as a taxpayer is tough,” Robin Wolpen said.

“It used to be the village tax was the small one in June. Now it’s larger,” Charlie McGrath said. He said initial requests from department heads would have brought a 23 percent hike, which he called “completely irresponsible.”

“I know the game … but I’m still writing a bigger check in June,” he said.

One person said he doesn’t mind higher taxes as long as streets are getting fixed.

“I would welcome an increase in my taxes, if part what you have in that budget … is to take care of the roads,” Brian Schaffer said.

One person who spoke up suggested the document delineate employee benefits by department, rather than one line item showing the cumulative total.

“It doesn’t give you a true picture of what each department is costing the village,” Shawn Gray said.

“That’s the way it’s always been done,” Mayor Tim Currier told him.

Gray also suggested that the board not contract with an outside firm to handle collective bargaining negotiations with unions representing village workers. He said that had been done in the past and called it “a monumental waste of money.”

“[Collective bargaining] is a daunting task … it depends where the trustees land on that,” Currier said.

The tax rate in Currier’s initial budget proposal is about $16 per $1,000 of assessed value. That means the owner of a $50,000 home would be taxed about $800 and the owner of a $100,000 property would owe about $1,600.

Last year’s rate was about $15 per $1,000.

Property taxes this year would bring in $5,761,787. Last year, they garnered $5,440,422.

To get the tax levy increase to zero percent, the village would have to cut $321,364.

The proposition calls for $9,297,496 in general fund spending, a $405,608 hike, or 4.6 percent. Last year’s tab was $8,891,888.

Department of Public Works Superintendent Hassan Fayad said “the road budget is pretty much the same as it was last year.”

Overall spending will total $15,661,113.