Smithtown taxes are going up (click here for Town’s Tentative Budget). The town board held its public hearing on the budget, Thursday at the Eugene Canataro Senior Center. There was no discussion by the board members on the $103 million proposal but there were comments by town residents.
Mr. Krauss, a resident of Smithtown, expressed his displeasure with the increase. He raised the point that the tax increase is not just $46.83 (the amount that a home with an assessed value of $5,500 will be paying) it is an increase in addition to the library tax increase and the school tax increase and the Suffolk County Police tax increase. Mr. Krauss stated that the increasing taxes could become unaffordable for people in the town. He also raised the issue of the theft of the town’s recyclables. He pointed out that the solution proposed by the Supervisor, hiring more public safety officers, did not seem to make economic sense. He claimed the costs to the taxpayer would exceed the amount lost due to the theft of the recyclables. In addition, Mr. Krauss asked why no one has been held responsible for the thefts and why no one has been fired.
Democratic candidate for NY State Assembly in the 8th legislative district, Jesse Safer, pointed out that the proposed increase did not reflect the “realities of Smithtown’s real estate market.” Mr. Safer, an attorney and a former Nassau County property tax hearing officer said “Our goal is to retain ownership of the homes in Smithtown, to attract the home buyers… Increasing property taxes, even with some reductions, discourages people from buying homes in the Smithtown area.” He also made the point that tax grievances, a problem in Nassau County, could become the reality in Smithtown.
The Supervisor’s budget message states,”It should be noted that a large portion of the increase includes $1.8 million which is attributable to pension and hospitalization costs. Increased fuel costs also is a factor.” The budget message did not mention the modest (2 percent ) pay increases most town employees received nor the 10 percent increase for the appointed members of the Planning Board and Board of Zoning Appeals. The proposed budget seems to have the support of the Town Board members and is expected to be adopted in November.