Town of Ossining Approves Budget
The 2012 Town of Ossining budget was passed by a 4-1 margin, with Councilman Peter Tripodi, the lone Republican on the board, voting against the spending plan.
The 2012 budget features a .07 percent tax decrease for town general residents and .02 tax decrease for town outside residents. This is the second year in a row the town has proposed a budget without a tax increase.
Leading up to the budget, Tripodi had been critical claiming that despite its tax decrease, the budget featured exaggerated revenues and did not address many of the towns financial issues.
“There are items in this budget that are very questionable,” Tripodi said. “Court consolidation has failed and it hasn’t even begun yet. It has forced the village to increase taxes over the tax cap when Village of Ossining residents were promised a tax decrease.”
Tripodi said if the town didn’t have to take on the $460,000 cost of spending in absorbing the village’s court, than they could’ve had a more substantial decrease. He also would like to see the town do something about its police building on North State Road.
Supervisor Catherine Borgia said the $460,000 was a credit from the Comptroller’s Office for the court consolidation and that it was the money the town could’ve chose to spend but decided not to.
“Court consolidation will not cost any resident of the Town of Ossining any additional money,” Borgia said.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.