Lloyd fails to override tax cap

By Mark Reynolds
Posted 10/28/20

Last week the Lloyd Town Board failed to pass a local law that would allow the town the option of overriding the 1.56% tax cap for the 2021 town budget. On the roll call vote, Winslow and Pizzuto …

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Lloyd fails to override tax cap

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Last week the Lloyd Town Board failed to pass a local law that would allow the town the option of overriding the 1.56% tax cap for the 2021 town budget. On the roll call vote, Winslow and Pizzuto voted yes, while Auchmoody, Guerriero and Mazzetti voted no.

At first the tally seemed to be 4-1, with Councilman Joe Mazzetti the sole no vote, but Councilman Lenny Auchmoody spoke up, questioning the matter further. Initially he said he asked Supervisor Fred Pizzuto about pushing this vote ahead by two weeks. He thanked those who had worked “so hard” to compile the preliminary budget but asked “is there a mistake that was missed?” He said past town budgets have been compiled by people who have done them many times, with the Town Board accepting them at face value. He went as far as to say he will “take the heat” for not paying as close attention to past budgets as he should have, but suggested that waiting would allow more time to properly vet the entire budget.

Mazzetti said he always favors staying under the tax cap and pointed out that just a short time ago the town was nearly $1 million over the cap. He thanked Supervisor Pizzuto and his team for bringing this figure down to about $40,000 over the cap. He said his reason for not wanting to pierce the cap is because of the economy.

“We have people who are out of work, people who can’t put food on their tables and people that are losing their homes for taxes and for mortgages. I don’t believe in clear conscience that we can even take the chance of going over the tax cap and that is why I am voting no tonight,” he said.

Councilwoman Claire Winslow said she did not understand voting to not go over the tax cap, stating that approving the measure simply gives the Town Board the option of going over should that action be needed.

“My point is it’s a safety and we do it every year,” she said, adding that this year the town is in a good position where going over the cap might not be needed.

In the final weeks of preparing the 2021 town budget, the Town Board cannot go over the tax cap because of this vote.