Port Jervis tax hike smaller but budget still in flux
PORT JERVIS – A tax hike of 8.39 percent shrank to 4.9112 percent in Mayor Kelly Decker’s proposed budget, as third quarter sales tax revenue added $200,000 to city coffers, he announced at the Common Council meeting on Monday night.
“My earliest budget, presented two weeks ago, is still not certain,” he said.
As the budget stands now, it eliminates part-time summer labor and requires that two openings each for police officers and the Department of Public Works not be filled, he noted.
Decker also announced another public hearing for a tax cap override at the next council meeting on Nov. 9, after it was defeated twice by a minority of four council members. Without the override, even if the tax hike stays within the cap limit, revenue growth would also be limited by the cap limit.
Two who opposed the override, saying their constituents can’t afford more taxes, were Fourth Ward Councilmen Stan Siegel and Tim Simmons. They gave up their salaries for the year, resulting in a percentage change for each councilman’s salary of about .0776 percent, City Clerk-Treasurer Robin Waizenegger said later, or about .16 percent combined.
Elaborating on the city budget, Third Ward Councilwoman Kristin Trovei, who chairs the Finance Committee, announced that the city fund balance is $1.4 million.
However, she said, “Most of that is in receivables, not in the bank. We’ll lose some of the fund balance this year.”
Later, Waizenegger explained.
“Basically, the fund balance is the equivalent of your net worth,” she said. “In other words, if you collected everything that was owed to you and then paid out everything you owed to others, it’s what would be left over.”
“The numeric value of the fund balance is measured annually for our audited financials every Dec. 31st,” she said. “Realistically, the number changes every day as we conduct business. On Dec. 31, 2019, the fund balance was $1.4 million, with $592,000 in cash.”
Trovei also announced the schedule for budget workshops:
• Recreation Department, CDA and DPW: Wed., Nov. 4, 6:15 p.m.
• Fire Department, fire inspector and police: Mon., Nov. 16,, 6:30 p.m.
• Building Department, Assessor, Clerk, miscellaneous items and budget review: Wed., Nov. 18,, 6:15 p.m.
In other business, Second Ward Councilwoman Maria Mann announced that the Industrial Development Agency has an opening for a new member.
As Halloween approaches, Decker noted the different perspectives on trick-or-treating from the county and state health departments.
“Trick-or-treating is high risk and not recommended by the county, but it’s allowed by the state,” he said, adding that he would post their recommendations.
“Wear a Covid mask,” he advised. “A Halloween mask is not enough. Do it with people you live with.”
He also recommended using hand sanitizer with 60 percent alcohol, handing out candy from a table between giver and receiver, and not participating when sick. Decker noted that Laura Meyer plans to use a pipe to convey candy to visitors.
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