A Village Trustee recently sent Unify Piermont an article describing Nyack’s tax increase for next year at 9.5%, presumably to be compared favorably with Piermont’s .39% tax increase.
Nyack’s budget is $5.1 million, Piermont's $4.8 million.
Another Trustee estimated at a public meeting that Nyack pays Orangetown $1.2 million for police services, so let’s add that to the $5.1 million.
Based on the latest Census Bureau estimates, that means the Nyack residents are paying $926 each for Village services including police protection. The same number in Piermont is almost double, $1,845.
In the latest budget, Piermont increased spending at 3.44%. Unify Piermont did some projections. It will take Nyack until 2023, another 13 years, to catch up assuming Nyack increases spending 9.5% each year and Piermont keeps its spending increases to 3.44%.
If you can still afford to live in Piermont in 2023, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that Nyack’s taxes are finally higher. However, there are several points to keep in mind:
1. Since 2000, Piermont’s spending has increased 88%, an average of almost 9% annually under the current and previous administrations. So the chance of 3.44% for the next 13 years is slim unless we elect a Village Board with more concern for the taxpayers in Piermont.
2. Why 0.39% for Piermont this year and 9.5% for Nyack? Well, one answer might be that Mayor Shields has announced he is not running for re-election. Is Mayor Sanders running again?
3. Since the last official Census in 2000, the Census Bureau estimates that Nyack’s population has increased and Piermont’s has declined. Obviously, if this trend continues it will take longer for Nyack to catch-up. Piermont taxpayers may have to wait until 2030 to be on par.
The answer to the problem is obvious; Piermont spends too much for our population base. Since we can’t grow our population, we need to cut spending and/or combine services with sister villages.
This message was prepared by Unify Piermont which is dedicated to returning responsible, representative government to Piermont.
Unify Piermont is a group made up of village residents from all areas of the village, and from all political parties. We need to create a local village government that will address the problems created by the current and previous administrations.
We need your help, your input and your involvement. If you share our concerns about Village taxes, Village debt and the lack of any meaningful communication from our Village Board; than e-mail us at unifypiermont@live.com with your name and address or leave a message at 845-613-7675. We will notify you when a new posting goes up on our website at http://www.unifypiermont.blogspot.com/.
