The board finally agreed to lower the tax levy. I am exhausted by this fight but relieved that our finances were finally addressed. We will keep paying attention to how they handle the budget from here on out.
May 4, 2020
Final supporters
19 April 2020
Dear Scarsdale Village Mayor and Board of Trustees,
We, the undersigned, are Scarsdale Village residents. We respectfully request that you revise the Village Budget for Fiscal 2020/2021 downward, that you do not raise Village property taxes as currently planned, and instead, you lower them.
It is unconscionable that during the current pandemic and economic crisis, the Scarsdale Village Board would raise our property taxes. In New York State alone, the unemployment rate is already at 13% and rising, while business activity has plummeted. Scarsdale residents are not immune, especially since half of the households make less than $250k annually. No doubt, when updated data are released the figure will be far worse, because many of us have lost our jobs or have had our salaries decreased just in the last four weeks. Many of our businesses and those in Scarsdale have been forced to shut down.
To address the issues above, the Voters Choice Party undertook a budget analysis and proposed at least $2 million in possible cuts from the Village Budget. These cuts can be undertaken without cutting back on services, furloughing staff, or negatively impacting our Village. During the public hearing on the Village Budget on April 14, 2020, the Village Manager, Mayor and the Trustees were unwilling to address these $2 million in proposed cuts, saying “it’s more complicated than that.”
The Board cannot justify the proposed expenses below, for which we will be taxed in July 2020:
- $1 million in overtime and excess pay for career firefighters. As in other towns, our 58 volunteer firefighters can cover overtime shifts in order to avoid the over $1 million excess pay.
- $200k in “Supplemental Services Freightway” for lawyers and consultants for a project we’re told is on ‘pause.’ The Village has already spent $300,000 on these same Freightway lawyers and consultants.
- During Tuesday's Budget Hearing, when questioned about the unnecessary $200k appropriation for Freightway lawyers and consultants, the response was “For example, Freightway, I don’t anticipate there being any money expended on those Freightway uses, but what are we going to do with them? Where are they going to go? We could put them immediately, I guess, into the contingent account." It is improper knowingly to appropriate tax dollars for a designated purpose, when the Trustees have no intention of spending those tax dollars on the designated purpose.
- $370k in Supplemental Services in the Village Attorney category, a 64% rise from last year? What is the reason for this appropriation?
- $500k in raises for police retroactive to 2019, and now another $500k in raises proposed for 2020. Why is it anathema to ask Village employees to skip salary increases this year?
- $60k overtime at Water Department for a $100k salaried pump operator; why not hire an additional part-time operator?
- $29k for books/periodicals for the Village Attorney. We do not have one anymore; we have an outside law firm.
- $15K in capital funds for the Boniface Circle Park design project. Are these expenditures vital now?
We urge the Mayor and Board of Trustees to reduce budgeted expenditures by $2 million, and thereby lower the tax levy by $2 million (4.8%), and revise the Fiscal Year 2020/2021 Village Budget accordingly before the April 28th budget vote.
Best regards,
Residents of Scarsdale Village
*All words in this
petition that are underlined, have a link embedded to the relevant source of
information. Please sign with your name and address so that the Scarsdale Mayor
and Board of Trustees know that you live in Scarsdale.
**April 20, 9:50pm: Quite a number of residents have written to ask if spouses can individually decide to participate in this petition. Absolutely.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
April 22, 2020
April 21, 2020
The budget meetings at the village hall are draining and often feel like talking into a void. I am still pushing through the paperwork and the resistance to get someone to actually look at these proposals.
Reached 100 supporters
April 20, 2020
April 20, 2020
The climb toward 250 signatures has been slow and exhausting work. I need you to put this in front of your neighbors so we can hit that mark and put real pressure on the Board.
April 18, 2020
The climb is exhausting and the opposition is not going to budge unless we show them a serious wall of names. We are nearly at one hundred signatures and hitting that mark is the only way to force them to look at our budget analysis. Push this out to your neighbors right now because the silence from the village board is getting louder.
99 Comments
The village absolutely should save small dollars here and there, but most importantly it should make an effort to oppose the biggest expense -- DEFINED BENEFIT PENSIONS. Most taxpayers make do with defined contribution plans, having lost their employer defined benefit plans many years ago.
I am it working and therefore have no income for the last 3 weeks. Scarsdale school are closed, municipal services are much reduced or nonexistent which should significantly reduce village expenses. Under these circumstances I expect a reduction in taxes not an increase.
Taxes are already an extraordinary strain and have been assaulted by the SALT changes. Increasing them will force many working families to reconsider Scarsdale.
At this time, it's irresponsible and tone deaf to budget anything for Freightway Development....It's clear the residents hated the proposals and direction of the board before the economy went into a free fall. Listen to the residents. Take a pause - lets see where we are as a community in a few weeks.....Reduce our taxes....don't add to them.
We are living in a challenging new reality and as many residents have frozen salaries (myself included), impacted business performance and potentially employment at risk, we should look harder to minimize the tax burden to village residents
Please lower taxes . Scarsdale residents cannot have taxes go up more than they already are!!
we all know the budget process is a difficult one with no easy answers. as the economic fall out from the pandemic has unfolded, seems like an appropriate time to do whatever possible to lighten the already substantial tax burden on the villager.
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The board finally agreed to lower the tax levy. I am exhausted by this fight but relieved that our finances were finally addressed. We will keep paying attention to how they handle the budget from here on out.
May 4, 2020
Final supporters
19 April 2020
Dear Scarsdale Village Mayor and Board of Trustees,
We, the undersigned, are Scarsdale Village residents. We respectfully request that you revise the Village Budget for Fiscal 2020/2021 downward, that you do not raise Village property taxes as currently planned, and instead, you lower them.
It is unconscionable that during the current pandemic and economic crisis, the Scarsdale Village Board would raise our property taxes. In New York State alone, the unemployment rate is already at 13% and rising, while business activity has plummeted. Scarsdale residents are not immune, especially since half of the households make less than $250k annually. No doubt, when updated data are released the figure will be far worse, because many of us have lost our jobs or have had our salaries decreased just in the last four weeks. Many of our businesses and those in Scarsdale have been forced to shut down.
To address the issues above, the Voters Choice Party undertook a budget analysis and proposed at least $2 million in possible cuts from the Village Budget. These cuts can be undertaken without cutting back on services, furloughing staff, or negatively impacting our Village. During the public hearing on the Village Budget on April 14, 2020, the Village Manager, Mayor and the Trustees were unwilling to address these $2 million in proposed cuts, saying “it’s more complicated than that.”
The Board cannot justify the proposed expenses below, for which we will be taxed in July 2020:
- $1 million in overtime and excess pay for career firefighters. As in other towns, our 58 volunteer firefighters can cover overtime shifts in order to avoid the over $1 million excess pay.
- $200k in “Supplemental Services Freightway” for lawyers and consultants for a project we’re told is on ‘pause.’ The Village has already spent $300,000 on these same Freightway lawyers and consultants.
- During Tuesday's Budget Hearing, when questioned about the unnecessary $200k appropriation for Freightway lawyers and consultants, the response was “For example, Freightway, I don’t anticipate there being any money expended on those Freightway uses, but what are we going to do with them? Where are they going to go? We could put them immediately, I guess, into the contingent account." It is improper knowingly to appropriate tax dollars for a designated purpose, when the Trustees have no intention of spending those tax dollars on the designated purpose.
- $370k in Supplemental Services in the Village Attorney category, a 64% rise from last year? What is the reason for this appropriation?
- $500k in raises for police retroactive to 2019, and now another $500k in raises proposed for 2020. Why is it anathema to ask Village employees to skip salary increases this year?
- $60k overtime at Water Department for a $100k salaried pump operator; why not hire an additional part-time operator?
- $29k for books/periodicals for the Village Attorney. We do not have one anymore; we have an outside law firm.
- $15K in capital funds for the Boniface Circle Park design project. Are these expenditures vital now?
We urge the Mayor and Board of Trustees to reduce budgeted expenditures by $2 million, and thereby lower the tax levy by $2 million (4.8%), and revise the Fiscal Year 2020/2021 Village Budget accordingly before the April 28th budget vote.
Best regards,
Residents of Scarsdale Village
*All words in this
petition that are underlined, have a link embedded to the relevant source of
information. Please sign with your name and address so that the Scarsdale Mayor
and Board of Trustees know that you live in Scarsdale.
**April 20, 9:50pm: Quite a number of residents have written to ask if spouses can individually decide to participate in this petition. Absolutely.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
April 22, 2020
April 21, 2020
The budget meetings at the village hall are draining and often feel like talking into a void. I am still pushing through the paperwork and the resistance to get someone to actually look at these proposals.
Reached 100 supporters
April 20, 2020
April 20, 2020
The climb toward 250 signatures has been slow and exhausting work. I need you to put this in front of your neighbors so we can hit that mark and put real pressure on the Board.
April 18, 2020
The climb is exhausting and the opposition is not going to budge unless we show them a serious wall of names. We are nearly at one hundred signatures and hitting that mark is the only way to force them to look at our budget analysis. Push this out to your neighbors right now because the silence from the village board is getting louder.
99 Comments
This is an opportune time to trim the fat. I don't understand why we still have Freightway money in the budget, unless it's for repairs. Money already spent on this could have helped fix our failing sewer systems. How are we determining priorities in Scarsdale?
The village absolutely should save small dollars here and there, but most importantly it should make an effort to oppose the biggest expense -- DEFINED BENEFIT PENSIONS. Most taxpayers make do with defined contribution plans, having lost their employer defined benefit plans many years ago.
I am it working and therefore have no income for the last 3 weeks. Scarsdale school are closed, municipal services are much reduced or nonexistent which should significantly reduce village expenses. Under these circumstances I expect a reduction in taxes not an increase.
Taxes are already an extraordinary strain and have been assaulted by the SALT changes. Increasing them will force many working families to reconsider Scarsdale.
At this time, it's irresponsible and tone deaf to budget anything for Freightway Development....It's clear the residents hated the proposals and direction of the board before the economy went into a free fall. Listen to the residents. Take a pause - lets see where we are as a community in a few weeks.....Reduce our taxes....don't add to them.
We are living in a challenging new reality and as many residents have frozen salaries (myself included), impacted business performance and potentially employment at risk, we should look harder to minimize the tax burden to village residents
Please lower taxes . Scarsdale residents cannot have taxes go up more than they already are!!
we all know the budget process is a difficult one with no easy answers. as the economic fall out from the pandemic has unfolded, seems like an appropriate time to do whatever possible to lighten the already substantial tax burden on the villager.
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This is an opportune time to trim the fat. I don't understand why we still have Freightway money in the budget, unless it's for repairs. Money already spent on this could have helped fix our failing sewer systems. How are we determining priorities in Scarsdale?