Flat Tax Rate Proposed in No. Castle 2016 Tentative Budget
The tentative $31.6 million 2016 North Castle budget released by town officials last week is barely within the state imposed tax cap but carries a flat tax rate for residents.
Town Administrator Joan Goldberg said the spending plan increases the tax levy – the amount raised through property taxes – by $288,401, about $20,000 under the ceiling. However, with the first increase in years in assessable property, taxpayers would receive no tax hike in the currently proposed budget.
“We are very happy to see an increase in our assessment roll,” said Goldberg, noting that the number jumped by about $672,000 to $117,385,923.
Assessor Victoria Sirota said there were several factors in the town’s increase in assessable property. More than half of the total was attributed to the $378,600 rise in special franchises, which is real property owned by the public that is used by utilities in the public right of way. That figure is determined by the state, she said.
There was also a sharp reduction in residential tax property grievances during the past year, which allowed the town to maintain its gains in other areas.
In addition, the full impact of Armonk Square hit the tax rolls, which helped to bolster the assessed valuation.
“It was a very positive year for us, Sirota said. “We saw a significant rise for the first time in many years.”
On the negative side, Stop & Shop in North White Plains was granted a decrease of $250,000 in valuation of its property following a successful challenge, Goldberg said.
There are an assortment of minor adjustments throughout the entire budget, she said. Officials bumped up projected mortgage tax revenues for 2016 from $675,000 to $700,000. Sales tax revenue for next year has been pegged at $1,650,000, up $100,000 over the current year.
Goldberg said unless there are changes, next year’s budget would earmark $1.2 million for road repairs, up $100,000 from the approved 2015 budget. The town used $1 million from fund balance to go toward the road repairs in this year’s budget. Officials have wanted to set aside $1.5 million annually for that work, the level that is believed to be needed to properly maintain the roads, Goldberg said.
Next year, there is $393,000 budgeted for pool related expenses, up about $35,000 from 2015, the first year the town operated the aquatic facility on Greenway Road after taking it over from the Anita Louise Ehrman Recreation Center. That is mainly due to the extra time the Recreation Department will have to put together a full slate of programs for next year, Goldberg said.
Revenue projections for 2016 are listed at $200,000 in the tentative budget, which would be about $13,000 lower than what was taken in this past summer. Goldberg said the town wants to be cautions with that figure in case the novelty of the pool wears off and some people choose not to return.
“Some people paid for the pool to support it,” she said. “We don’t know if they will return and that’ll have an impact on us this year.
The town board received the tentative budget at its Wednesday night meeting and scheduled to open a public hearing on Nov. 18.
Access to the tentative budget can be found on the town’s website at www.northcastleny.com.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
