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Sleepy Hollow Officials Look For Cuts In Proposed Budget

SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. – A proposed 2013-14 village budget that would increase Sleepy Hollow's homestead property tax rate by 8.5 percent has some officials calling for nearly $500,000 in cuts.

A proposed 2013-14 village budget would increase Sleepy Hollow's homestead property tax rate by 8.5 percent.

A proposed 2013-14 village budget would increase Sleepy Hollow's homestead property tax rate by 8.5 percent.

Photo Credit: Meredith Shamburger
A proposed 2013-14 village budget would increase Sleepy Hollow's homestead property tax rate by 8.5 percent.

A proposed 2013-14 village budget would increase Sleepy Hollow's homestead property tax rate by 8.5 percent.

Photo Credit: Sleepy Hollow Village Hall

Sleepy Hollow Mayor Ken Wray presented his budget during Tuesday's Board of Trustees meeting. That proposal includes $19.8 million in expenditures, including water and sanitation, and would spur increases of 8.5 percent in the homestead tax rate and 8.7 percent in the non-homestead tax rate.

Members of the Finance Committee presented their recommendations to the board Tuesday night as well, calling for $485,929 in trims to the proposed budget, including several personnel cuts. The recommendations would make the homestead tax rate 3.64 percent.

“These are gut-wrenching decisions,” trustee and finance committee member Susan McFarlane said.

Trustee and finance committee member Barbara Carr told officials the 8.5 percent tax rate was too high and the committee wanted it under 4 percent.

The recommendations include cutting thousands of dollars from departments throughout the village, including Recreation, Public Works and community programs. The committee also recommends getting rid of trustee and mayoral stipends totaling $39,900.

Recommended personnel cuts include moving the registrar's office into the clerk's office, eliminating a recreation assistant position, removing overtime for recreation officials, eliminating one DPW position and freezing salaries for non-union staff.

Sleepy Hollow officials must adopt a village budget by the end of April. Wray encouraged residents to speak at the public hearings on the budget and send in their comments via letter or email to Village Clerk Paula McCarthy.

“You are encouraged to come and make your comments and thoughts known to the board as we consider this most important of our duties,” Wray said.

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