The Village of Plandome Heights Board of Trustees proposed to raise taxes to 6.2% at its Monday, March 2, meeting.
The board unanimously approved holding a public hearing at its next meeting on Monday, April 6, on the proposed budget, where taxes are slated to be increased by an additional 3.4% over the 2.8% tax cap it waived in January, an average $87 increase to the levy per household.
“The treasurer and I write a budget that represents what we think the priorities and the costs are for the village, and we match that up against what we think is fair to charge the village,” Plandome Heights Mayor Kenneth Riscica said.
Riscica said since the village has faced a 22% five-year inflation rate and only raised taxes by 15% over the same period, the village must gradually raise taxes to close the gap.
The most significant cost increases facing the village are $7,000 for compensation and benefits, $4,500 for sanitation, $2,000 for snow removal, $1,500 for rent and $3,300 for all other items
The mayor said the “dwindling non-recurring items,” such as American Rescue Plan Act funds that supported localities after the COVID-19 pandemic, have forced the village to prepare for a decrease in outside support by raising taxes.
“We look beyond what we have to do in any one given year,” he said.
The public hearing will be held at the board meeting next month.
The board also unanimously approved to hold a public hearing to raise parking ticket fines to an undetermined amount at its next meeting.
The village’s code currently charges $25 for parking violations.
“We have a crisis in parking in the village,” Riscica said. “It’s ridiculous.”
The mayor said much of the problem is on Plandome Road and Chester Road in front of the Shelter Rock Church, where he said he called the police to issue tickets for eight cars illegally parked.
The board will also hold a hearing on adding snow to the list of substances that cannot be put on the road, but the mayor said that since he sent emails to residents who did, they have not seen a problem.
“Just by asking them, they stop,” he said.
The board also approved a contract for the GoDaddy domain subscription for its website. The contract increased to $390 from $249 the previous year.
The board also agreed to sign onto a letter from the New York Council of Mayors in support of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to provide $100 million in Temporary Municipal Assistance.
The board will hold its next meeting on Monday, April 6, during which it is scheduled to hold several public hearings.
