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Woodbury board adopts tax-cap override, approves equipment purchases and administrative updates
Summary
At its Feb. 13 meeting the Village of Woodbury Board adopted Introductory Local Law 2 of 2025 (a tax-cap override), approved fire-department equipment purchases and several administrative contract and policy updates, and scheduled follow-up hearings on a sewer moratorium and a new local law.
The Village of Woodbury Board on Feb. 13 adopted Introductory Local Law 2 of 2025, a local tax-cap override, and approved a package of routine municipal actions that included fire department equipment purchases, a contract to accept electronic check tax payments and other administrative updates.
Board members completed a series of votes after routine public hearings and administrative reports. The votes covered equipment purchases for the fire department (ice-rescue gear; nozzles and Y fittings; a John boat trailer; pagers and batteries), ratification of an amendment to the Highway Union memorandum of agreement to add vision benefits, adoption of updated meal-reimbursement per diem rates, authorization for the mayor to sign an e-check vendor contract, and scheduling or rescheduling of several public hearings.
Why it matters: the tax-cap override gives the village legislative authority this budget cycle to exceed the state-imposed property-tax levy limit if needed; the other votes update municipal operations and budgeting and set the calendar for more substantive hearings later this spring.
Key votes and short notes
- Adopted Introductory Local Law 2 of 2025 (tax cap override). Public hearing was opened and closed; board approved the law after brief discussion in which at least one trustee said they opposed overriding the cap because the 2025 budget does not take effect until June and the village recently received roughly $800,000 in redistributed sales tax revenue. The law was adopted and the clerk was directed to print the law in the meeting minutes.
- Approved four separate fire-department equipment requests: (1) ice-rescue gear totaling $1,067.80; (2) nozzles and a Y fitting totaling approximately $4,570.70; (3) a John Boat trailer for water/ice rescue totaling approximately $3,330; (4) seven pagers, 30 pager batteries and 20 radio batteries totaling $6,426 (amounts as presented to the board). Motions carried by voice vote.
- Approved Highway Union MOA Part 2 to add vision plan coverage previously offered to union employees.
- Adopted revised per diem meal-reimbursement rates based on the U.S. General Services Administration FY2025 guidance for New York: $16 for breakfast, $19 for lunch and $28 for dinner for full-day conferences (8 a.m.–6 p.m.), with alcohol excluded and full receipts required.
- Rescheduled the public hearing on Introductory Local Law 8 of 2024 (sewer-connection moratorium) to May 8, 2025, to allow the village and county to collect additional flow data.
- Denied, as previously decided in March 2024, a request from the Village of Kiryas Joel (referred to in the packet as the village of Curious Joel) for tax-exempt status on properties in Woodbury; the board voted to deny and requested the applicant be offered an opportunity to discuss the request before final action if they wished.
- Authorized the mayor to sign a contract with TTEC to add electronic checking as a tax-payment option for residents; the vendor charges a $1.95 convenience fee to residents and the municipality reported no additional cost to the village.
- Adopted updated employee-handbook revisions prepared by Public Sector HR Consultants, LLC and submitted by the treasurer. The board discussed the 100-page document and one trustee moved to table; the motion to adopt passed at the meeting with recorded nays noted during the roll call.
- Introduced Introductory Local Law 3 of 2025 (amending Chapter 310 of the Village Code to prevent farm stands and ice cream stands in the LC district) and scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 27, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.; the board also voted to assume lead agency status for environmental review and declared the matter a Type I action for SEQRA purposes.
What the board said: several trustees and the mayor emphasized the need for more data before some land-use moratorium decisions (the sewer moratorium in particular). The treasurer presented the proposed meal-per-diem numbers and said full receipts must be submitted. Board members thanked staff and volunteers for ongoing work on budget, contracts and operational updates.
Next steps: the board will hold follow-up public hearings on the sewer moratorium and on Introductory Local Law 3; routine administrative updates will be implemented as approved.
