By Holly Crocco
The Southeast Town Board is proposing a 2025 budget that increases the tax levy less than 2 percent, staying below the state-mandated property tax cap.
As this is Town Supervisor Nick Durante’s first year in office, he presented his tentative debut budget to the board at its Sept. 26 meeting, with a tax levy increase 3.61 percent.
“We’re looking to do a few things with new employees,” he said. “We’re definitely going to have a challenge with the budget… We’re very close to being where we need to be with our work force. It is a contract year. We are still negotiating one contract with the CSEA members.”
At that same meeting, Councilman Eric Cyprus respectfully informed the supervisor that he could not back the proposed budget as-is.
“You know my stance – I won’t support us breaking the cap, so hopefully over the next few weeks we can make some adjustments,” he said. “Everybody always comes to you with, ‘It’s only $10 a house (for a tax increase)…’ But all these things add up.”
Councilman Eric Larca agreed.
“If we want to be under the tax cap, we’re going to have to make cuts,” he said.
At the following meeting Oct. 10, Cyprus presented the board’s revised budget.
“The last two weeks, the town board has been reviewing the budget and tonight we are submitting a budget that is a 1.98 percent tax levy increase – well under the cap of 2.76 percent,” he said.
“Obviously the town faces the same inflation pressure we all face in our daily lives,” explained Cyprus. “We also have two union contracts that expire at the end of this year. To get the budget increase down, we were able to raise some estimates on non-tax revenue, as well as cut some minor expenses. No people or services were cut in this reduction, and we are continuing to invest in code enforcement, and parks and recreation.”
Also as part of the supervisor’s budget, there are no raises proposed for part-time elected officials.
The proposed $11.9 million budget (excluding special districts) represents a 3.4 percent expenditure increase over this year’s $11.5 million budget, and includes $4.7 million in revenue, which is a 5.6 percent increase over the $4.4 million that was budgeted this year. That leaves $7.2 million to be raised via taxes, which is a 1.98 percent increase from the $7 million that was collected in 2024.
The proposed budget appropriates $594,000 to the Brewster Public Library,
The budget may be viewed at the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Hall, 1360 Route 22; or at www.southeast-ny.gov/409/2025-Budget.
Residents may comment on the budget at an Oct. 24 hearing at 7 p.m., at Town Hall.
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