Get Out Your Wallets, Folks, Town Tax Freeze Is Over!

NOTE REVISED HEARING TIMES!

Public Hearings on Town of Hempstead Preliminary Budget for fiscal year commencing January 1, 2007 to be held Tuesday, October 17th;

Increases to be Seen By Most Residents Across the Board

Proposed Budget can be viewed online

On Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. & 7 p.m., the public is invited to offer comment on the proposed Town of Hempstead budget for 2007.

Town Board meetings are held in the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion, adjacent to Hempstead Town Hall, One Washington Street, Hempstead.

Come on down to Town Hall to ask the tough questions and to see how YOUR TAX DOLLARS will be put to work next year.

Hey, its YOUR money!
- - -
Click HERE to view the 2007 proposed budget for the Town of Hempstead.
- - -
FROM THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET -- Message of Supervisor Kate Murray:

The Bottom Line
This proposed spending plan for 2007 is well within the limits of inflation, as measured by the rise in consumer prices for the latest one-year period. The budget, totaling $383.5 million, represents an increase of $11.8 million, or 3.2 percent, over last year’s budget. At the same time the CPI has risen by 4.67 percent.

Approximately $220.8 million of this proposed budget will be funded through property tax levies. This represents an increase of 4.6 percent over last year. Additional funding will come through mortgage and sales taxes, state aid and user fees. This budget contemplates the use of $6.5 million in reserves.

Taxes Frozen for Residents of Incorporated Areas
The 2007 budget that I am proposing freezes general town taxes, which are paid by all residents of the township. In fact, this budget holds the line on general town taxes, the only town taxes paid by residents of incorporated villages, for the 11th time in 12 years. The general town taxes levied in my 2007 proposal are actually less than the total general taxes levied in 1995, more than a decade ago. On average, a homeowner in an incorporated village will pay a total of $59 in town taxes (not factoring in Nassau County changes in assessment).

Residents of Unincorporated Areas
When speaking of the impact of this proposed budget, it is difficult to speak in terms of a typical taxpayer. The town’s budget is divided into funds and residents pay taxes only to those funds providing services to their community. For example, certain communities are served by one of the town’s water districts and pay taxes to support its services. Other residents who are not served by the town make payments directly to other water providers.

Costs associated with refuse disposal continue to rise and the amount of garbage generated by homeowners is increasing. As a result, residents of the refuse disposal district, which manages waste once it is collected, should expect to see an average increase of $12.02 a year.

Our beautiful town parks, both those with extensive recreation facilities as well as passive green areas, number almost 200. These properties have enjoyed substantial upgrades through a $40 million parks enhancement initiative. This effort, along with ongoing improvements, will result in an average increase of $6.48 in parks taxes for most residents.

Finally, residents of unincorporated areas will pay an average of $12.63 more in taxes next year to fund highway maintenance and roadway improvement projects. The effect of harsh winters on the town’s infrastructure and an over $100 million roadway/infrastructure improvement program are factors influencing this increase.

Moreover, residents of the unincorporated areas of Hempstead will see on average an increase of $44.85 in the total amount of town taxes paid...
- - -
So, NOW we're going to pay for that Town Highway improvement bond (without much collateral improvement in the Town's roads and highways). We were wondering when they were going to sock it to TOH residents!

And look who's going to pay MORE for parks, MORE for refuse disposal, MORE, MORE, MORE in already burdensome Town taxes -- that's right, those of us who reside in the Town of Hempstead's UNINCORPORATED AREAS. Surprise!!!

Of course -- and as to be expected -- these tax increases for 2007 do not include taxes that benefit the so-called Special Districts (i.e., Sanitation, Water, Fire). And you know where those taxes are going. . .

Take a good look at the Town's 2007 preliminary budget -- and see where your hard-earned money is going (as in, "going, going, GONE). You know, people just don't realize how many GOP Committeemen it takes to spend $383.5 million dollars!

Yes, big changes are in store for Town of Hempstead taxpayers in 2007 -- read as, "YOU ARE GOING TO PAY MORE AND GET LESS!"

Still, at least the rhetoric remains pretty much the same: Blame the tax bite on the school districts, the reassessment, and factors over which the Town of Hempstead, as with almost everything else, says it has no control.

Look, you can't say we didn't warn you, folks. And no one can blame us at The Community Alliance. After all, we endorsed Harvey Levinson for Town Supervisor. More than just hindsight is 20/20. . .