Town of Wallkill Supervisor George Serrano presented a $31 million preliminary budget to the town board at the first budget workshop on Oct. 10.
The townwide budget consists of a $22 million general fund and a $9 million highway fund, which come with $6.4 million and $7 million in property tax levy, respectively.
Compared with the most recent budget, property tax levy increases by about 1 percent, below the tax cap set by state law.
On the general fund side, which is the main operating fund for the town, property tax is the single largest source of revenue, followed by $5.7 million in sales tax and $1.5 million in hotel tax.
Mr. Serrano said he raised the hotel tax revenue by about $200,000 from the most recent budget mainly because a new hotel is slated to open next summer.
Building permits are the fourth-largest revenue source, at $1 million, up by $100,000 from the previous budget, given the better-than-expected fee collections the town has seen this year.
Mortgage tax revenue, proposed at $900,000, is $100,000 lower than the previous budget because of the uncertainties in the real estate market in the coming year, according to Mr. Serrano.
“We put a lot of consideration into this preliminary budget, and I think the budget itself overall is a sound budget,” he told The Epoch Times, adding that he was open to changes by the town board.
Regarding the expenses, Mr. Serrano increased the paving account money by $250,000 to $1.25 million, explaining that it was important for the upkeep of the town’s infrastructure.
He also earmarked $5,000 for the junior police academy and added two more police officer positions.
“I think public safety is one of the most important things in this town,” he said. “That’s something we need to do, and it is good to put taxpayer money toward public safety.”
The proposal also includes two new clerks for the police and building departments.
All elected and appointed town positions get an across-the-board 3 percent raise, and union workers will have their salaries and benefits settled after contract negotiations are finished.
Public members can view the preliminary budget sheets on the town website under the finance tab.
At the workshop, Councilman Neil Meyer requested more financial information from Mr. Serrano to help him evaluate the proposed 2024 budget, including the current year’s budget projections, current working capital, and salary sheet information.
He told The Epoch Times that a more accurate historical comparison could have been made if the town’s 2022 financial statements had been fully audited ahead of the budget season.
Mr. Serrano said that a primary reason for the delay was inadequate staffing in the accounting department, a problem he has tried to fix since he came into office.
Ongoing duty separation and new hires at the department—the town just hired a new account clerk to take care of account payables—will solve the problem, he said.
There will be another budget workshop on Oct. 12, and Mr. Serrano is set to present his budget at the monthly town board meeting on Oct. 26.
