In a 3-2 vote, the Town Board adopted a 2027 Preliminary Budget that will be the subject of a public hearing on December 1, starting at 6:30p.m. Councilmen Esposito and Siegel voted no, but for different reasons.
The budget reduces the “town” tax (that includes the General, Highway and Library funds) that was in the supervisor’s Tentative budget from 4.9% to 3.48%, or a tax rate of $184.34/$1,000 assessed value, down from $187.01 in the Tentative Budget. (The 2026 “town” tax rate was $178.14/$1,000 AV.)
There were no changes in the Preliminary Budget for any of the special districts: Water, Refuse, Sewer, Advanced Life Support.
– Emergency medical $10.20, up $1.37
– Water district $18.56.up $0.33
– Refuse tax (per house) $621.46. up $6.81
For the typical homeowner with a $10,000 assessed value on public water, the total tax bill would be $2,752.46, a $85.01 increase over their 2026 tax bill.
Sewer taxes would vary depending on the district.
– An increase of $315.96 for taxpayers in the Hallocks Mill Sewer District.
– Taxpayers in the 11 Peekskill sewer districts will see a decrease in their sewer tax because starting in 2027 they will pay for the district’s operation and maintenance costs on their water bill based on usage. Three districts will have no sewer tax.
Because the proposed tax levy exceeds the 2% tax cap, the Board will be holding a public hearing on November 17 to exceed the cap.
The decrease in the”town” tax rate in the Preliminary Budget was arrived at by
- increasing revenue projections by $360,000 (tentatively in the sales and mortgage tax lines and fines)
- using an additional $250,000 in fund balance, bringing the total use of fund balance to $1.5 million, and
- adding $265,000 spread across 13 budget lines, ranging from $60,000 for a police car to $3,000 for Sunday staff at the library.
Note: In future postings, most likely on the Issues page of this web site, I hope to share more insights into these budget changes.