By NEAL RENTZ
The Pound Ridge Town Board has voted unanimously to approve the 2025 budget which will include a tax rate increase below the state-mandated property tax cap.
The total town spending plan for next year is $11,024,177, not including special districts. The tax rate increase is 2.04 percent. The 2025 tax cap for the town is 2.9 percent.
The budget, passed Dec. 3, includes spending for the general fund ($7,876,579), funding for the land reserve ($382,115) and spending for the highway department ($2,765,483). In the general and highway funds combined spending will increase by a total of $63,951 and revenues in the combined categories is an estimated $153,000 next year.
Director of Finance Steven Conti said the town has been below the tax cap for the past eight years.
For multi-year budgeting, “We look at things conservatively that we can’t predict,” Conti said. In terms of revenue for the 2025 budget, 34 percent comes from sales taxes and 7.6 percent is from mortgage taxes, he noted. In terms of spending in next year’s budget, 13.3 percent is for employee health insurance and 5.2 percent is for the state retirement system contributions, he said.
Councilwoman Alison Boak said the town has been receiving more grants that it had when she first began her tenure on the board.
“If the town had one grant in a year cycle, that was a lot,” she said. The town board and town employees have worked to successfully increase the number of grants coming to Pound Ridge, she said, adding, “The savings to our residents is great.”
Helping town finances next year is $150,000 in tax revenue from the one cannabis store located in Pound Ridge, “which really helps us immensely,” Supervisor Kevin Hansan said. The cannabis store revenue generated will help fund capital projects next year, he said.
None of the residents who spoke during this week’s public hearing on the budget expressed opinions on whether the budget should be approved or not, but they did have questions about the ledger. Resident Jill Faber asked what the cannabis store expenditure was.
“Is that the tax the town collects?” she asked, adding the store has been open less than a year.
Hansan replied that the revenue is a tax paid to the town by the store and the town is expecting to receive $150,000 for the full year of 2025. For 2024, the town expects to receive about $80,000 in revenue from the store, he said. The town receives 3 percent of the total tax revenue from the store, while Westchester County receives 1 percent, he said.
Multi-use trail
Also discussed at this week’s meeting is a potential multi-use trail, which could be located on portions of 199 Westchester Ave. and 7 Old Pond Road.
The construction of the multi-use path would allow access to property recently obtained by the town. The path would provide better access to the Town Park and provide other opportunities for outdoor recreation.
The project is being funded in part by a Recreational Trails Program grant.
An archaeological study was recently presented to the town board and it indicated the project would not have negative archaeological or cultural impacts.
The only resident who addressed the town board during this week’s public hearing about the environmental assessment review of the project was Joseph Virgilio. He asked the town board if the trail would be located in front of his properties. Councilman Dan Paschkes said the trail being discussed would be going up Westchester Avenue.
“It’s not the one looking to go behind Westchester Avenue,” he said. The town board voted unanimously to adopt a negative declaration, meaning the project would not have an adverse environmental impact.
Town proclamation
Also at the meeting, the town board presented a proclamation to Geraldine (Gerri) Tortorella, a land use attorney who has represented many Pound Ridge residents and landowners on a variety of projects before the town’s land use boards for more than 30 years.
The resolution stated, in part, ”Gerri is being honored by the Land Use Law Center at the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University at its annual Land use and Sustainable Development Conference with the 2024 Founder’s Award for her efforts and accomplishments in land use and sustainable development.”
“The Town Board of the Town of Pound Ridge wishes to recognize Gerri for her work within the town and for this significant achievement,” the resolution stated.