2014 Clarkstown Budget Increases Taxes 3.5 Percent

Following a public hearing at which few residents spoke; the Clarkstown Town Board approved an override of New York State’s two percent property tax cap on Thursday. After a second public hearing the board members approved the proposed 2014 budget of $140 million. The 2014 budget will increase homeowner or homestead property taxes by approximately 3.5 percent. Commercial or non-homestead property owners will see their taxes jump by 17 to 18 percent.

Two business people who attended the meeting said tax hikes are hitting them hard this year. This year’s Clarkstown School District’s property tax increase for non-homestead taxpayers was approximately 21 percent.

Alice Lenna, the manager of New City Bowl & Batting Cages, said, “This is a disgrace on top of the 21 percent.”    

Roxanne Perrone, owner of Peronnuci’s Deli, said, “My question to everybody is what business in town can afford to raise their prices by 20 percent?”

She said business owners cannot raise prices 20 percent and wind up taking a 20 percent hit.

“I don’t know how many businesses can sustain this,” Perrone said.

Lenna said the New City Chamber of Commerce’s executive board is meeting with Senator David Carlucci, who has spoken about the state’s need to be more “business friendly,” to discuss the impact of homestead and non-homestead tax rates.

They were not the only ones displeased with the budget.

Steven Levine of Congers said the town’s budget increases were out of control. 

“We can’t keep going like this,” he warned. “We’re going to wind up a ghost town.”

The budget was reduced slightly from the originally released figure of $140,729,325 because board members voted to remove $35,000 from the part time salary line in the town clerk’s office. The receiver of taxes office is being consolidated with the town clerk’s office on January 1 and the line item decrease brings the savings to about $400,000. 

Council member George Hoehmann said the budget did not reflect real cuts.

“I’m having real difficulty with passing the 3.5 percent increase along,” he said.

Hoehmann said he would refuse the two percent salary increase, acknowledging it was a symbolic gesture. Council members Frank Borelli and Stephanie Hausner also announced they would not accept the annual increase.

Hoehmann said they must look creatively in the next budget cycle for ways to cut through consolidation, decreasing expenditures or fixed costs. The councilman, who was just re-elected earlier in the week, said residents told him throughout the campaign that the ever-increasing cycle of spending must stop.

“I will not vote to override the tax cap next year,” he promised. “We need to get our budget in line. We’re not doing enough.”

The budget uses about $500,000 from the town’s reserve fund. Councilmember Shirley Lasker said about 90 percent of the budget is fixed costs. But other council members spoke about bonding and their desire to reduce the amount of money borrowed for infrastructure projects.

Hoehmann said higher taxes will force more people to leave Clarkstown because they cannot afford it.

“Not only are our seniors not going to be able to stay here, I’m not going to be able to stay here,” he said.