Ossining Town Budget Draws Scrutiny
The Town of Ossining is one of the few municipalities to present a budget with a tax decrease, though not everyone is happy about it.
The 2012 tentative budget proposed by outgoing Supervisor Catherine Borgia 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.
The town held a public hearing on the budget last Tuesday, and Councilman Peter Tripodi has been a vocal opponent of the budget.
“There are a lot of questionable revenues that the town will not fulfill,” Tripodi said. “This will only burden the new board and supervisor.”
Tripodi said the 2012 budget would force the town to increase taxes in its 2013 budget when revenues do not match the budget.
“It’s irresponsible to propose a budget like that,” Tripodi said. “It’s not a responsible budget, it’s a joke. The town has a kick the can down the road mentality.”
Borgia, who will become a county legislator in January, said that Tripodi is simply misunderstanding the issue, and that revenue projections are based on state numbers, federal outlooks for the economy and the village’s 2011 revenues.
“My revenue projections are less aggressive than the county executive,” Borgia said. “He is misunderstanding the situation because he hasn’t asked any questions.”
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.