Monroe board debates revenue streams, code enforcement

The Monroe Town Board continued its review of its 2025 preliminary budget, leading to heated debates about how it is managed and ways to increase revenues streams during the November 7 meeting.

One area of contention was law enforcement and whether the town had the proper resources to ensure violations were being addressed and revenue was being collected.

Councilwoman Mary Bingham suggested that the town did not have enough support for law enforcement, claiming that the services by state troopers weren’t sufficient, and said that town should consider allocating funds for a study to see if a constable would be beneficial. Supervisor Tony Cardone said that because the town had more than 10,000 residents it was not permitted to have a constable, which was confirmed by the town attorney. Bingham said she believed the town should investigate working with the village of Monroe to review other options.

Councilwoman Dorey Houle said she and Cardone were talking with town counsel to understand what was needed to create the feasibility study to review options for code enforcement. Councilwoman Maureen Richardson questioned why the feasibility study discussion was limited to those three individuals. Houle claimed that she did not say she was working on a feasibility study with the supervisor and the attorney, and that it was just a conversation.

Houle said that her conversation with the supervisor and attorney were to understand what elements were needed for the study, not that a study has begun. She added that once they have something substantial to report they will bring it to the board.

Bingham informed the board that the courts were hoping to retain their clerks and suggested that they also get an 8% raise, or comparable figure to what was proposed for other non-union employees. Cardone said he agreed with Bingham, however there wasn’t enough revenue being brought in.

Richardson said the lack of revenue from the courts was why the subject of a constable or another form of law enforcement was raised. She claimed that the courts and building department are overwhelmed and therefore not actively enforcing the town code and collecting tickets and that investing in some form of a code enforcement officer would produce more revenue.

Comprehensive plan

During the continued public hearing, resident Carol Hawxhurst asked Cardone for a follow-up on what he learned regarding the expected costs for updating the town’s comprehensive plan. Hawxhurst also wondered if some of the funds allocated for the comprehensive plan were spent reviewing the tree code and if the $42,000 that was approved for 2022 and 2023 combined was still available. She added her view that the $11,000 allocated in the current budget was not enough.

Cardone confirmed that the money from 2022 and 2023 goes back into the fund balance. He said he was informed of how an extensive comprehensive plan can cost as much as $125,000, yet because of how well the town’s plan was done originally, that number could be closer to $75,000 to $80,000. Richardson questioned whether the unpaid efforts of Planning Board Chairperson Bonnie Franson contributed to the reduced cost estimate.

Regarding the budget, Bingham agreed that more money is needed for the comprehensive plan and said that the town doesn’t want to be hit with an $80,000 expense soon. She also suggested the town allocate $5,000 for an arborist as a line item under the Conservation Commission.

Composting

Another cost concern raised by Bingham was the allocation of money for composting, which Cardone said was adjusted down to $40,000. Bingham wondered if people should be encouraged to do more of their own composting so it doesn’t pile up at the town site. Monroe Highway Superintendent James Patterson explained that some of the compost brought in includes such large items as trees, brush and other items that have been piling up from the town and villages.

Taxes, revenue

During the meeting Cardone presented a visual representation of the six-year, year-over-year tax rate for homeowners. He claimed that his board has been attacked for not budgeting properly and not maintaining taxes for the people, even though the current budget would have residents paying $957.34 in taxes for the year, or only a 2.9% increase over six years.

Richardson said the town continues to pull money from the fund balance and that the operating cost is not meeting revenue. She said the town needs a more balanced approach to account for decreased revenue streams and that the board should prepare for the future so that residents are not hit with a large tax hike.

Cardone asked Richardson how much she would like to reduce the fund balance, to which she replied that she did not have a specific number and just wanted to bring it to his attention. Cardone then informed Roberta McBride of the town finance office to enter a $400,000 reduction in the fund balance into the system. He claimed that every municipality is dealing with similar budgets issues and asked Richardson to find a revenue source for the town. Richardson responded that, as budgetary officer, Cardone should have made sure that expected revenue came through and that it was not her job to fix the town’s budget.

Houle said that this year is a correction year and that the town has been increasing taxes slowly, largely because of the need to increase salaries to make the town’s positions more desirable.

The board voted to close the public hearing with written comments permitted until November 17 and approved the preliminary budget.

Meeting minutes

While discussed whether to approve prior meeting minutes, Richardson said it was inappropriate to redact statements made on behalf of the public from the record and that she had received a couple of emails complaining about this. She said she reached out to the Committee on Open Government, who informed her that the town meeting minutes are the property of the town and that they should reflect what actually occurred at the meeting. Cardone disagreed, claiming that it could jeopardize the town and place them in liability’s way, thus impacting the taxpayers. Richardson contended that three other municipal lawyers said that there’s immunity from defamation from their position in New York State and did not vote to approve the minutes.

Other taxes

During the meeting, County Legislator Pete Tuohy provided an update on what the town could expect from their share of the county’s collected sales tax and mortgage tax from the most recent period. Regarding the sales tax, Tuohy noted that last year it was rainy, which impacted outdoor shopping at Woodbury Common and outdoor tourism. He shared that revenues have been flat, did not have exact figures to report.

Regarding the mortgage tax, for the period of April 1 through September 1, the total amount allocated to the town of Monroe, the village of Monroe and the village of Harriman is $476,468.37, with the largest portion, $361,307 going to the town.

The board discussed what was budgeted for sales tax in the previous year and whether the current figure should be more conservative.

Chemicals

Richardson asked Tuohy for an update on hydrogen sulfide issue and related odor problems near Airplane Park and said she wanted to know exactly what the toxin levels are. Tuohy explained that although the county has the information, it is proprietary, and he is not permitted to release that data. Richardson, who put in a FOIL request for more information, questioned whether test results that reveal high levels of hydrogen sulfide would present a public safety issue and be grounds for the town or village to pursue action on behalf of the residents. Town attorney Brian Nugent said that without having any prior discussion he was not prepared to speak about the matter at the meeting.