By Holly Crocco
The Kent Town Board has approved a resolution allowing the town to surpass the state-mandated property tax levy cap in 2025, should it need to do so.
According to the first draft of the budget, a tax levy increase of $1.5 million, is proposed. The $22.6 million budget uses $699,700 from reserves, leaving $1.8 million in the fund balance.
During the Oct. 15 board meeting, Town Supervisor Jaime McGlasson explained that a lot of big-ticket items on the docket for next year – such as a new police vehicle, and an electric vehicle charger – are being funded by American Recovery Plan Act funds, and not with taxpayer money.
“ARPA funds cannot be used to balance our budget or to pay everyday expenses – there’s criteria they have to fall into,” she explained.
In addition, the new bridge at Lake Carmel will be reimbursed through funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “It was a large amount of money, but we are getting FEMA funds back for that,” explained McGlasson.
“In our budget this year, there’s no frivolous spending of any sorts,” said the supervisor. “And the only thing that we could use ARPA funding for that was in the budget this year, was actually the second police car for the police department.” This allowed the town to realize $70,000 in “savings.”
McGlasson said the increase in the 2025 budget is mostly due to the new EMS program the town is starting up next year.
“Unfortunately it’s become pertinent that we have our own EMS department in the Town of Kent because the reaction time for calls,” she said. “We are one of the last towns (in Putnam County) to have its own EMS.”
Councilman Shawn Boyd noted that the 2025 budget includes startup funding for the EMS program, which won’t necessarily be incurred in future budgets. “The EMS – that’s an expense this year, but the EMS should start to pay for itself in the future,” he said.
“In 2025 we will bring in revenue from EMS,” added McGlasson. “It’s not a ‘money maker,’ but we will be bringing money back.”
Councilman Chris Ruthven elaborated that the town will recoup some of the expenses through insurance payments and Medicare payments. “That’ll start putting some of the money back to EMS,” he said.
In addition, the cost of gas, supplies and parts, and health care are increasing, as well as contractual expenses. “Costs that we have no control over,” explained McGlasson.
Resident Julie Boyd said she understands that expenses have inflated, but still expressed concern over the rising cost of living.
“The only problem I see in the long range is, we’re not going to be able to afford to live here,” she told the board. “When we do the reassessment things are going to go up because we’re so underassessed… School taxes are going up every year – it doesn’t matter what we vote on.”
Ruthven explained that the purpose of the reassessment is not to raise more taxes, but to make sure the levy is fairly distributed among property owners. He said the town’s valuation is so “off-kilter” that Kent residents are paying an unfairly high portion of the Carmel Central School District taxes.
“It’s not that we’re doing a reassessment to raise more money in taxes,” he said. “The reassessment redistributes how the taxes – for the same exact amount – are raised each year.”
A public hearing on the budget has been scheduled Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., at Town Hall.
To view the budget, visit www.townofkentny.gov/finance/pages/budgets.
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