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South Blooming Grove adopts local law to allow override of tax levy limit
Summary
The Village Board on Nov. 4 adopted Local Law 4 of 2024, enabling the village to exceed the state tax levy limit under General Municipal Law §3-c if needed; the measure passed 5-0 after a public hearing that included objections about timing.
The Village of South Blooming Grove Board of Trustees voted 5-0 on Nov. 4 to adopt Local Law 4 of 2024, a local law that would allow the village to override the statutory tax levy limit set out in General Municipal Law §3-c if the board later decides to exceed that cap.
The measure, recorded as Resolution No. 62, was carried on a motion by Trustee Asher Guttman and seconded by Trustee Zalmon Rosner. The vote was recorded as 5 Ayes (Mayor George Kalaj, Deputy Mayor Abraham Weiss, Trustees Guttman, Rosner and Yitzchok Feldman). Attorney Scott Ugell explained the purpose of the local law as a contingency mechanism for the village to exceed the tax-levy limit in circumstances that might require it.
Opponents at the public hearing questioned the timing of the action. An anonymous commenter said proceeding with an override discussion before budget deliberations was "the cart before the horse," and some residents said they needed more time to review budget materials before considering a tax-override authority. The board opened a public hearing on the topic at 8:03 p.m. and closed it at 8:12 p.m. before later adopting the resolution at the regular meeting.
No implementation date or specific tax increase was included in the board’s action; the local law creates the authority to exceed the levy limit if the board later chooses to exercise it. The record shows the board completed the procedural steps and recorded the unanimous vote at the Nov. 4 meeting.
