Spending talks continue with police request for detective

By NEAL RENTZ

The Lewisboro Town Board continued its budget deliberations on Nov. 3 with a work session.

The board is seeking ways to reduce the potential tax increase in the tentative 2026 budget as it works toward its preliminary budget. The $17.78 million plan would raise property taxes well above the town’s state-mandated cap of 2.5%. But Supervisor Tony Gonçalves said last week the tax hike will be reduced significantly during the budget process. 

At this week’s meeting, Gonçalves outlined the major revenue and expenditure increases. Included are a $1.208,951 million increase in expenses and a $478,535 net increase in revenues, compared to the current year’s budget, he noted. 

Two of the categories in which revenues went up are Westchester County sales tax revenue, which rose by $77,550, and building department fees, which went up by $350,000, Gonçalves said. Some of the categories in which spending would increase over 2025 without changes are highway department expenses, which went up by $309,151, and police department expenses, which increased by $160,684, he said. 

The town is $1,067,000 over the tax cap in the tentative budget and would result in a tax hike of 14.67%, Gonçalves said. The Town Board is going to review the budget’s revenue lines, and expense lines for potential cuts, as well as possible use of the fund balance and a potential town-owned property sale, to bring down next year’s tax increase, he said. 

Town Comptroller Annie Burnham said she was increasing the sales tax revenue line because a quarterly report has indicated that the town’s share of the county sales tax is 2% higher than last year. 

“This one scares me a little bit,” Councilman Dan Welsh said, noting news reports about gloomy economic conditions.

Gonçalves said the town has asked the county for updated sales tax revenue numbers. 

Burnham said the tentative budget is assuming that rent will continue to be paid to the Katonah-Lewisboro School District through March of next year. The town rents space from the school district to use the former Lewisboro Elementary School campus for some town offices and the Police Department.

Police Chief David Alfano told the Town Board he is requesting the hiring of a detective. The detective could be used to go to Westchester County police facilities, such as the Real Time Crime Center, once a week to work on older cases from Lewisboro, such as “cold cases that were never solved,” he said.

“We could really use it,” Councilwoman Mary Shah said in support of the new detective position. 

The recent hiring of two full-time officers has reduced the need for overtime, Alfano said.

Gonçalves said the board needs to approve the preliminary budget by Nov. 21. Westchester County requires towns to approve their final 2026 budgets by Dec. 20. He was targeting Dec. 8 as the date to approve the final budget, following the public hearing on the budget that could be held earlier in the evening, Gonçalves said.