Board opens public hearing on local authorization to exceed tax cap; trustees outline growth factor and assessment increases

The board opened a public hearing on a proposed local law authorizing the village to levy property taxes in excess of the state's 2% cap under General Municipal Law A7 3-c. An unidentified official outlined why the village seeks authorization as a routine, precautionary measure recommended by municipal legal counsel and the conference of mayors to protect the village from later corrections tied to the state's "tax gap" calculations.

Officials explained how the tax cap is calculated, noting a referenced cap figure of "$871,000 and change" and saying that, even if the village met that cap, the tax levy would still rise by roughly 6.43% this year. Trustees discussed a roughly 9% increase in assessments, with staff saying about half of the assessment change reflects bricks-and-mortar (new development) and the remainder reflects market-value increases. The assessor provided a top-10 list of taxpayers; staff noted a new storage building at 33 West Main ranked among the highest assessed properties.

A motion to close the public hearing was moved and seconded. The roll call in the transcript recorded 'Aye' votes from Trustee Coffey, Trustee Lopez, Trustee Dorio and Trustee Corrales; the motion carried.

The board also opened a separate public hearing on the 2025-26 budget and the administrator briefed trustees that the budget review is ongoing and not yet finalized. No final budget votes were recorded in the transcript.

The public hearing on the local tax authorization permits the village to exceed the preset cap if later adjustments by the state would otherwise put the village out of compliance; trustees emphasized the authorization is a precautionary device and does not itself set a final levy.