TOWN OF WAPPINGER – The Wappinger Town Board unanimously passed the 2021 operating budget at Monday night’s meeting. The $16.8 million plan holds the line on spending with no tax increase.
Supervisor Richard Thurston called the 2021 budget process a “team effort” while thanking department heads and elected officials for assisting to craft the budget during the COVID-19 pandemic. “From the beginning of our budget process it was my goal to offer the residents of the Town of Wappinger a zero percent tax increase, a goal that we accomplished here tonight,” he said.
The town’s 2021 spending plan keeps the residential tax rate (A-Fund Homestead) the same, with no increase, at $1.86 per thousand of assessed value, and holds the village residential (B-Fund Homestead) with no increase, at .77 per thousand of assessed value. “We have ensured that both rates remain unchanged to give taxpayers a break on their Town of Wappinger taxes during these troubling times. I have honored my commitment, and, all the while, have continued to expand our core services to the community. Further, we have not sacrificed any safety, health or welfare needs,” Thurston said.
Budget highlights include a projected $100,000 worth of revenue to come in from the town-owned Carnwath Farms Historic Site & Park in 2021. “We plan to continue to make Carnwath a true destination for the arts, culture, antiquities, recreation, and community,” Thurston said. The town plans to develop a community center for all ages on the ground level of the Reese Cultural Center at Carnwath to increase recreational programming and rental opportunities.
On Monday the board also held a public hearing on a proposed Dutchess County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) on the proposed Community Center to which there was no opposition and the board voted unanimously to proceed.
Additional highlights include money for the expansion of recreation and senior programming, continued town-wide park improvements including the further development of pocket parks in neighborhoods throughout the town, and the plan to pave and reconstruct 6.58 miles of roads in the town.
Councilman William Beale, who represents the first ward, stated, “As we continue to face an unprecedented public health emergency, we are met with fiscal and operational uncertainties in 2021. This year’s budget deliberations required tough decision making to maintain essential town services and programs.”
He said town officials “have done our due diligence to our residents by crafting a spending plan that maintains our current tax rates, which are among the lowest per capita, in Dutchess County.”
Fourth ward Councilman Al Casella said, “Our fiscally conservative and responsible budget that includes no tax rate increase to residents and keeps intact the services and programs we had planned in 2020 before COVID. In this budget, we succeeded in staying well below the state tax cap of 1.56 percent.”
Cassella noted that if the financial climate improves, the town will revisit programs that were scaled back to avoid additional financial strain to the taxpayers.
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