Montebello board adopts 2026 budget, raises property levy 8%

The Board of Trustees of the Village of Montebello on Nov. 18 adopted the village’s 2026 budget, approving a total expenditure plan of $3,510,043 and a property tax levy of $1,479,030, an increase of 8% from the 2025 levy.

Deputy Mayor Stacy Caridi moved to amend the tentative budget after the board received an updated taxable assessed valuation (TAV) from the Town of Ramapo Assessor’s Office; Trustee Bruce Egenhauser seconded. The board voted unanimously to increase projected real property tax revenue from $1,424,251 to $1,479,030, raising total revenue to $3,021,856 and reducing the draw on unappropriated surplus from $542,966 to $488,187.

The adopted levy, the minutes say, requires application of Local Law 2 of 2025 to exceed the state’s 2% cap on property tax increases. The clerk‑treasurer’s calculation yielded a tax rate of 12.029842 per $1,000 of taxable assessed valuation, based on a total taxable assessment of $122,946,733 listed in the minutes.

Mayor Lance N. Millman and all trustees — Deputy Mayor Stacy Caridi, Trustee Bruce Egenhauser, Trustee Michael Humphrey and Trustee David Rose — voted in favor of the budget. The minutes record the closing of the public hearing on the budget prior to the vote and state that no members of the public spoke during the hearing.

The minutes contain inconsistent time stamps (the record also lists the meeting as called to order at 8:10 p.m. while other entries show actions earlier in the evening); the article reports times and figures as stated in the board minutes without resolving that inconsistency.

The minutes direct the village clerk‑treasurer to issue the warrant for collection of the levy and to re‑levy unpaid professional and property maintenance fees where applicable. No amendments to the budget were recorded beyond the adjustments to the revenue and surplus noted above.