Going from a tentative 4.2 percent increase down to a 3.5 percent increase, the Maybrook 2021-2022 village budget is almost a done deal. Although a public hearing Monday saw no public comments, the village board cannot yet vote to adopt the budget because it has yet to hold a public hearing on the 3.5 percent budget increase. State law requires a public hearing and positive board vote to go above the state-mandated budget limit — or tax cap — of two percent. That hearing is set for 7 p.m., Mon., Apr. 26.
The board cut its original tentative tax levy down to $1,923,958. It carries a tax rate of $16.53 for village property owners in the Town of Montgomery and $10.09 for village property owners in the Town of Hamptonburgh. Most Maybrook properties lie in the Town of Montgomery.
The proposed budget represents a $67,000 increase in the tax levy. And, for the third year, no funds from the fund balance were taken and applied to the proposed budget. This is important, village officials point out, because a previous state audit slammed the village for appropriating fund balance monies that should have been kept in reserve. Not only have no monies from the fund balance been used in the last three years, but the village has been able to add funds to it, shoring up its reserves and meeting state requirements.
Praising Mayor Dennis Leahy and Village Clerk Valentina “Tina” Johnson for their budget preparation work, board members echoed the sentiments of Trustee James Barnett, who said: “We got the increase was 4.2 percent and it’s down to 3.5 and we didn’t touch our fund balance. That’s a pretty darn good job!”
Trustee Daryl Capozzoli couldn’t agree more.
“A budget is not an easy thing to do,” he said. “It’s an educated guess at best. The key is Dennis did a great job.”
Deputy Mayor Robert Pritchard focused on the fund balance.
“Not only did we not touch the fund balance,” he said, ”we did the reverse and added to it. Kudos to the mayor.”
For his part, Mayor Leahy explained what the proposed budget means for property owners. A Maybrook home (in the Town of Montgomery) assessed at $150,000 paid $2,395.00 last year in village taxes. For 2021-2022, the same home would pay $2,479.50, an increase of $84.50 for the year, which works out to a $7.04 per month increase.
Going further, Leahy said: “A $150,000 assessed home in Maybrook would pay $1,001.00 more today since the 2009-10 budget. This equates to a $77.00 The figures are similar for Maybrook homes in the Town of Hamptonburgh.
When the village board meets April 26 for the public hearing on exceeding the two percent tax cap, it will also hold a public hearing on its application for a Community Development Block Grant from Orange County. At that hearing, residents can suggest potential projects for the village board to apply for. An annual program, Community Development grants have been used in Maybrook for such projects as new sidewalks and sewer re-linings.
At prior meetings, both the Town of Montgomery town board and Maybrook village board approved the annexation of nearly 83 acres, known as the Galaxy property, to the village. So the village board held a public hearing Monday night to zone the land to I-3 (industrial). The village planning board wrote it was “satisfied” with the designation. But no required decision had yet come from the Orange County Planning Dept. So the village board could not vote Monday on the zone designation.
That vote is expected to come at its April 26 meeting.