Wappingers Falls opens tentative budget hearing, continues review to April 16 after questions on records and audits

The Village of Wappingers Falls Board of Trustees opened the tentative 2025 budget public hearing April 9 and voted to keep the hearing open, continuing consideration to the board's April 16 meeting at 6 p.m.

Board members said the village's enterprise funds (water and sewer) are handled separately from the general fund and staff told trustees that the water board met Monday to complete the water budget. A staff member said final revenue numbers for the water and sewer funds should be available midweek and that the hearing must include a public comment period and occur by April 10 under the village's timetable.

The hearing discussion brought attention to a backlog in the village's annual financial reports. A staff member said the village's 2020 report was the last fully closed filing, 2021 was filed and accepted, and 2022 has been returned for adjustments between the village and the controller's representative. The staff member said the village can bring orders for multiple years once accounting filings are current.

A resident and meeting attendee, Dominic Tremendo of 22 Rose Road, asked for a more detailed budget breakdown that would show the specific vouchers and payments behind each line item. Staff agreed to provide a departmental or voucher-level breakdown that the board and the public can review.

Trustees and members of the public also renewed a request for an independent audit of village accounts; at one point a staff member said an audit could cost “about $48,000,” and that trustees could vote on whether to include funding for an audit in the budget. The board did not adopt a final budget on April 9 and set the continuation for April 16 to allow staff to supply the requested detail and finalize enterprise fund figures.

The hearing remains open and will resume at the board's next regular meeting on April 16 at 6 p.m.