Tag:
Tax Increase
Mount Vernon, NY
News
Court Reverses $2.4M Verdict In Battle Over Recycling Center Shut-Down In Mount Vernon
A city in Westchester County notched a major legal win this week after a New York State appeals court reversed a $2.4 million verdict and ordered a new trial in a legal battle surrounding the shutdown of a can and bottle recycling center in 2016. In a unanimous decision issued Wednesday, June 4, the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court’s Second Judicial Department reversed the 2022 ruling in Mega Beverage Redemption Center v. City of Mount Vernon, citing procedural missteps in the original trial. The court found that the trial judge improperly allowed a new claim to be …
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
Politics
18-Year-Old Wins Seat On NJ Town's School Board
Lifelong Sparta resident Chad Wood has been elected to the town’s Board of Education just five months after graduating from high school. The 18-year-old is one of the state’s youngest to hold a BOE position. Wood ran alongside Jennifer "Lonsky" Grana and Kaitlin Gagnon. The trio incumbents Christina "Longo" Keiling and LeeAnne M. Pitzer. Wood might be young, but he comes with plenty of experience, having served as Student Council President for three years at Sparta High School, and was elected Executive President his senior year. Wood was also elected as the BOE’s Student Representative d…
Harrison, NY
Politics
Westchester Mayor, Comptroller At Odds Over City Finances, Lack Of Transparency
Drastic cuts could be coming to one of Westchester’s largest cities as the Mayor butts heads with the City Comptroller. Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard and the City Council recently held a joint press conference regarding Comptroller Deborah Reynolds and her “lack of transparency, accountability, and professionalism,” that has left the city at a financial crossroads. According to Patterson-Howard, as the city and state continue combating the COVID-19 crisis, Mount Vernon requires Reynolds to release more than $12 million, or austerity measures may be put in place, including a 25 …
Beekman-Poughquag, NY
Politics
Politics 2020: Rob Astorino Poll
Rob Astorino promised he would never raise taxes as Westchester County Executive—and he kept that promise. Now, Astorino’s pledging to vote against any tax increase in Albany if he’s elected state senator.
Springfield, MA
Business
$300 More Per Worker: MA Increasing Employer Contributions To Unemployment Fund
Massachusetts employees are going to cost business owners another $300 each come April. In an effort to restore the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund amid COVID-19’s drain on the economy, a tax increase of about $300 per employee is set to start in April, according to the Boston Business Journal. The trust fund is facing a multibillion-dollar deficit due to a wave of unemployment brought on by the pandemic. Money is also dwindling because contributions were decreased during the Great Recession of 2008 to help small businesses stay afloat. The new assessment - which will cost employ…
New City, NY
Politics
Rockland Legislators Adopt Hefty Raises For Themselves, Other County Officials
Rockland County officials will be getting a pay hike after the Legislature approved the 2020 budget, which features a tax increase and raises for officials. The new budget includes some modifications from the initial spending plan introduced by County Executive Ed Day in October. The budget easily passed 15-2, and Day has five days to veto any changes. The Legislature will then have until Friday, Dec. 20 to override any potential veto. In the new budget, Rockland’s 17 legislators would see a $16,913 increase to their wages, up to $49,500, while the county executive’s salary would jump to $1…
Bedford, NY
Politics
$17.5M Bond To Build New Route 22 Firehouse Narrowly Defeated In Bedford
Residents in Bedford narrowly voted against a $17.5 million bond to replace the fire department’s firehouse, which has stood since 1929. The vote was 651-619. The proposed firehouse would have been just south of Bedford village on Route 22 and nearly double the size of the current firehouse. The proposal met resistance from some residents worried about further tax increases and the scope of the project. If it had passed, taxpayers would have seen an increase of approximately $225. “The Bond Resolution Failed!,” the department posted on Facebook late on Tuesday night. “We are devasta…
Yonkers, NY
Politics
Proposed $1.25B Budget Would Raise Taxes 2.5 Percent In Yonkers
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano has introduced a proposed $1.25 billion budget for 2019-2020, though the city still faces financial challenges. The proposed spending plan includes a 2.5 percent tax increase for residents that will represent an increase in the average taxpayer’s bill by approximately $350, though there are no cuts in essential services. The budget also calls for new city jobs in the water and housing departments. The proposal marks a 4.7 percent ($55 million) increase from last year, and must be approved by June 1. Public hearings have been scheduled beginning at the end of the mon…
