By Mary Jane Pitt
The Highland Falls Village Board has set a public hearing on a local law which would allow them to “authorize a property tax levy in excess of the limit established” … in other words, that would allow them to, if needed, go above New York State’s two percent tax cap.
The hearing will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, the next regular Village Board meeting.
It’s a move the board – and most other local municipal boards – take each year. The board did go above the cap in 2024, noting again at last week’s meeting that was due to the July 9, 2023 floods that severely impacted the community’s infrastructure. It was not met with approval by with several in the audience.
“If we don’t do something to relieve the burden of taxes, you’re going to end up with only people out of town owning homes and renting them to West Point or Section 8 people,” resident Michael Joyce said. “People born and raised here are going to be taxed out.”
Aleena Olivia, who is running for a seat on the board in March, said “Not again … you are putting too much pressure on all of us out here”, and said she “hopes the board knows we cannot afford this – both the village as an entity or the villagers”.
Pat Flynn, running for mayor in March, said he was also concerned “about why we are going over the tax levy”.
Deputy Mayor Jim DiSalvo, who serves as the village’s budget officer, said the action on that night’s board agenda was “just to set the hearing”.
“This is not us voting on raising the taxes over the tax cap,” he said, “New York State sets the time frame for us to adopt this should we need to go over the cap.”
DiSalvo added that last year was the “first time in the 10 years I’ve been on the board that we ever had to go over it”. Mayor Joe D’Onofrio noted that the board has not yet even had a budget workshop, so it is premature to discuss going over the cap.
Trustee Dr. Melanie Guerrero disagreed, and said setting the public hearing is a “big deal”, and saying “the fact of the matter is this board has raised taxes on you year after year, with nothing to show for it”.
Guerrero went on to say, “what we need to do it cut spending, but they don’t want to listen so your taxes will go up”. She said several of the village’s funds (sewer, water and capital reserve) were currently operating with negative balances.
DiSalvo disagreed and read from a treasurer’s report that the sewer fund currently has $413,000 in it, water fund has $472,000, general fund $1.7 million, capital reserve fund $2.7 million and reserve accounts $860,000.
Guerrero said “what is in the bank is not the same; the bills haven’t been paid.
On the agenda at the meeting the board, with the exception of Guerrero, approved the paying of $491,329 in bills and claims, including $104,846 from the general fund, $56,566 from the water fund, $40,156 from the sewer fund and $288,260 from the capital fund.