The Town of Rochester Town Board held the public hearing on the 2025 Preliminary Budget for the Town of Rochester at 6:30pm at the Harold Lipton Community Center, 15 Tobacco Road Accord, NY 12404
Stream the meeting: https://www.youtube.com/@townofrochester4383
PRESENT:

Councilwoman Renee Ciardi Councilman Michael Coleman
Councilwoman Emily Dindial Councilwoman Charlotte Smiseth
Town Supervisor Erin Enouen Town Clerk Kathleen Gundberg

PRESENTATION OF THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET BY SUPERVISOR ENOUEN
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Alana Blum: I want to express my gratitude to the Town Board for listening to the public plea for expansion to the Code Enforcement office.
Bea Haugen-Depuy: A few things that I have seen when reviewing the budget, not all boards and commissions are paid and I thought payroll was outsourced, are we still doing it in house? The listed salary for Supervisor is $ 57,654.00 add the $ 8,000 budget officer salary and that makes $ 65,564.00 with all wages. I wish you would put the total of the salary here and not split up. You have an increase of 20 hours a week for additional position in the Supervisor’s office that’s an additional $ 24,700.00 to the budget. And we are hiring a fulltime Assessor at $ 89,000? What happened to sharing with Marbletown and Rosendale. Remember this is additional increase in medical and retirement so you better want to add an additional $ 30,000.00. This right here could save you close to $ 60,000.00 on the $ 120,000.00 you are over. I can’t afford it; you’re killing us in taxes. Social Security didn’t go up, we’ve already done the work you are doing. 1/3 of us are on a capped income, you must cap the spending. The reality is we can make it in this Town, it’s not fair to the taxpayers. Why are we giving more to the pool? That’s another $ 15,000 and I gave you an option to save $ 95,000.00 right there is more than the $ 120,000.00 your over and that’s just 3 budget lines. The Justices are they getting more work than before? Why such an increase? $ 6,200 increase for salary. Look at the senior population and low income as well.
Sam Zurofsky: I think the board is doing a great job! There has been an underinvestment in the Town and a .15 cent increase in the tax levy is a cost I can live with. The current cost of living in Ulster County on a single income is $ 25.00 per hour. This budget allows for wage increase and lesson the gender inequities in pay. On a $500,000.00 assessed value home this would be a $ 65 annual increase in Town taxes and I am comfortable with that.
CLOSURE OF PUBLIC HEARING:
Motion: Councilwoman Smiseth
Second: Councilwoman Dindial
The Town of Rochester Town Board closes the public hearing at 7:22pm.
Motion carried

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,

KATHLEEN A. GUNDBERG
Town Clerk