The following letter was published in this week’s issue of the Gazette.
To the editor:
When you go to the polls next week, there are some numbers you should consider. These come from the NYS page on reforming government, “The median U.S. property tax paid is $1,917 and in New York it is $3,755—96 percent higher than the national median. Moreover, New York has the highest local taxes in America as a percentage of personal income—79 percent above the national average.”
Westchester County Median Property Taxes Paid on Homes: $8,474*
Rank: 2
Median Home Value: $562,700
Taxes as percent of home value: 1.51%
Rank: 251
Our little Village of about 3,000 households is carrying $36 million dollars of debt ($12,000 per household). My understanding is that that current regime wants to borrow an additional $4 million dollars bringing your household debt total to $13,333 per household. If that’s not bad enough the Village pays approximately $1 million dollars a year in debt service.
“Our little Village of about 3,000 households is carrying $36 million dollars of debt ($12,000 per household). . . . We are one of the most indebted villages in the state based on our size.”
I’m sure many of our new residents are always trying to balance their checkbooks and know that buying on the credit card is a bad idea, so is it a good idea for the Village? I suspect that the newest trustee plans to use this method since he has stated he wants to keep taxes low but without revenue he will have to borrow.
We are one of the most indebted villages in the state based on our size. I don’t think being fiscally responsible is a bad thing. Before you know it Village expenses will exceed revenue and taxes will increase.
As I said, something to think about when you head to the polls next week, is this the best we can do?
Bob Anderson
*Source: The Tax Foundation, based on a three-year average and out of 1,824 counties nationwide.