Tentative Yorktown Budget Calls for 8.6% Town Tax Increase
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The tentative 2025 town budget proposed by Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman last week calls for an 8.6% tax increase.
In an Oct. 31 press release, Lachterman, who is presenting his first spending plan since being elected supervisor last April, attributes the hefty tax hike to “fiscal challenges,” including escalating costs, unfunded mandates, and economic pressures on state and national levels.
“While Yorktown stands as a model of fiscal responsibility, our partners in Albany and Washington are not, and we are now seeing the impact firsthand,” Lachterman stated. “Our mission to protect property taxpayers continues, and we will seek innovative ways to address the economic pressures we face.”
Lachterman mentioned the town was dealing with a 40% increase in general and health insurance costs and rising paving costs, which are straining the town’s finances. He said “flat” state aid is forcing Yorktown to invest $1.25 million in road paving to meet infrastructure needs.
The supervisor is proposing $1,425,000 from the town’s fund balance—the same amount utilized this year.
Town taxes represent about 11% of a property owner’s total tax bill. If Lachterman’s $73 million budget remains unchanged, he stated the tax increase on a home assessed at $10,000 would be $144.
However, Councilwoman Susan Siegel maintained most homeowners would actually see an increase of $216 due to increases in water, ALS and garbage that were not accounted for by Lachterman.
“It looks like my colleagues on the Town Board will have to finally face reality this year. The four-year run of not raising the town tax despite sharply rising expenditures has finally caught up with them,” said Siegel, the lone Democrat on the five-member board. “Good politics but poor fiscal planning that has resulted in the sharp and unprecedented proposed 8.65% increase. Going forward, if we want to avoid similar tax rate increases without cutbacks in services, we need to increase our non-tax revenues and/or find ways to reduce expenses by increasing efficiency.”
Lachterman stated the board will be meeting with department heads in coming weeks to explore possible cost-saving measures that could bring down the proposed tax increase.
The budget must be adopted by Dec. 17 or the tentative budget would become the 2025 spending plan by default.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
