Residents living near Lily Flanagan's bar and restaurant on Deer Park Avenue in Babylon Village asked the Village Board to put pressure on the owners to comply with Village codes and become good neighbors. Residents told the board at a special meeting that they are enduring loud music until the wee hours of the morning, unruly customers, and littering. "We moved from Brooklyn thinking we were going to live in a quiet community," one resident told the board. "It hasn't been that way." Residents said that the music emanating from the restaurant and bar is so loud that it disturbs their sleep. "Our quality of life has deteriorated," said resident Kevin Timson. "This is a primarily a residential neighborhood and we need them (Flanagan's) to be a good neighbor." Mayor Ralph Scordino said that under the current agreement, the restaurant and bar closes at 3 a.m., and the entertainment is to run until 2 a.m. All sound systems have to be self contained, however, and there should be no disturbances, litter or loitering outside of the establishment. "You have my word that I will reach out to the police, our code enforcement and the owners and we will get a strategy together to get this resolved," said Scordino. "There is no way we will allow the quality of life for our residents to deteriorate." Following that meeting Village officials contacted the owners of Flanagan's and outlined the concerns of residents. Since then, said Scordino, things have improved and he has gotten several letters from nearby property owners advising the board of that. "I think that after we explained things, they realized they have to be better neighbors," said Scordino, adding that the owners were "very cooperative." Timson said that he hoped that the Village, the police and the owners would do the right thing and get the problems resolved. "We are hopeful that things will work out, he said, adding that he and his neighbors are committed to ensure that "things start moving in the right direction."

In other news, •the Village's former treasurer, Joan Crockett, stated at a recent board meeting that she was concerned that the Village had little or no fund balance, and that its projected budget for the coming year could make that problem even worse. "There are some items in that budget that appear to be low and could leave the Village with a significant shortfall," said Crockett.

Mayor Ralph Scordino disagreed, saying that the Village closed its books this year with a small fund balance, and that he and the current treasurer have addressed the importance of building up a larger reserve. "We anticipate increasing the fund balance and we should be in a better place next year," said the Mayor. The Village approved a budget in April calling for an 82-cent increase in the tax rate, part of which will bolster reserves, according to the Mayor. That translates into an annual tax increase in Village taxes on a home assessed at $5,000 of $41.