Town Bd. Holds Public Hearing on 2020 Preliminary Budget

Story by Lourice Angie

      The Warwick Town Board assembled for a public hearing on the 2020 preliminary budget at the Town Hall on Thurs., Nov. 7. Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton announced that town-wide, residents will see a decrease of 1.1% in the tax levy and the town-wide fund will see an increase of 3.6%.

      “That increase was primarily driven by a $621,000 increase in the police budget and a lot of that had to with the NYS Criminal Justice reforms that fall on the municipalities. Additionally, mandated health and retirement increase costs through state plans added to increases. There was $340,000 in highway expenditures that mostly had to do with contractual obligations that we had for three retiring employees,” said Sweeton.

      The Board was able to mitigate some of these increases and bring the Town under the tax cap by using additional revenues as well as surplus that accumulated.  The overall increase in the tax levy, after all adjustments, was $412,000 – keeping the Town under the tax cap.

      “I think we’re very proud of the budget because we were able to get it under and still provide funds for necessary operations. I would like to thank the Board for all their work and help on the budget and I would like to thank Steve Brown who worked on the preparation of the budget,” said Sweeton.

      Pursuant to section 112 of the Town Law, the proposed salaries of the following elected officers are hereby specified as follows: Town Supervisor $64,500, Town Clerk $58,210, Records Management Officer $2,733, Councilman $11,750 each, Receiver of Taxes $42,068, and Justices $27,500 each.

The preliminary budget of the Town of Warwick for the fiscal year was completed and filed on Thurs., Oct. 31 and will be effective on Wed., Jan. 1, 2020. The budget will be available for inspection and viewing at the following locations: Office of the Town Clerk, located at 132 Kings Hwy. in Warwick; Florida Village Hall, located at 33 S. Main St. in Florida; the Albert Wisner Public Library, located at One McFarland Dr. in Warwick; the Greenwood Lake Public Library, located at 79 Waterstone Rd. in Greenwood Lake, and the Pine Island Post Office, located at 665 County Rt. 1 in Pine Island.

HeatSmart Extension

      The HeatSmart Warwick discount has been extended to Nov 30 for residents. According to the Board, residents can combine HeatSmart  with fresh funding for rebates. For more information, call (914) 302-7300 ext. 1 or visit www.HeastSmartNY.com

Town Snow Regulations

    Supervisor Sweeton would like to remind all residents that the Town’s snow regulations are in effect from now through Wed., Apr. 1.  The parking of vehicles is hereby prohibited on all highways and other public Town property at any time during inclement winter weather. Vehicles in violation of this article will be towed at the owner’s expense. Heeding of this regulation is especially critical for safety in some of the Town’s densely populated areas like Wickham Village, Kings Estates/Sugar Hills, and many of the hamlets.

      Supervisor Sweeton would also like to remind all property owners that any person who throws, shovels, plows or places snow or ice onto a public street, highway, or right-of-way shall be guilty of a violation and subject to a fine not to exceed $250.

Next Town Board Meeting

      The next Board meeting will be held on Thurs., Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Warwick Town Hall, located at 132 Kings Hwy. in Warwick.