WHITE LAKE, NY — At the Town of Bethel meeting on October 14, there was a public hearing about raising the local property tax above the tax cap imposed on municipalities (and school districts) by Albany and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Under New York law, local governments can’t raise taxes more than 2% or the rate of inflation—whichever is lower—without passing a local law with a super-majority voting in favor.

Supervisor Dan Sturm explained that the tax cap for 2016 has been calculated and will be limited to an increase of 0.73% (in 2015 the limit was 1.56%). This lower figure, he said, is not adequate to fund the town’s business. But at the public hearing, several residents voiced dissatisfaction with overriding Cuomo’s tax cap.

Susan Brown Otto noted that tax increases are hard on people who live on fixed incomes such as Social Security, and those residents will see no increase in payments in 2016.

Judith Maidenbaum, owner of the Fat Lady Café, noted there were businesses that closed down this year because they were not able to afford the taxes. The solution she suggested, which has often been suggested at town meetings, was that the town gain additional revenue through a surcharge tacked onto the price of tickets sold at Bethel Woods.

Town attorney Rob McEwan said the town would not be able to do that unless legislation in Albany was passed by state lawmakers.

Sturm said it was not likely that lawmakers in Albany would pass such legislation, nor was it likely that Bethel Woods would pay such a fee voluntarily. Sturm noted that if the board needed to raise taxes, the increase would be less than 2%.

Councilmember Dawn Ryder said, “It was just a little unreasonable to not increase anything and have the possibility next year where we come to you saying, ‘we have no money, and we have to go 5% or 6%.’”

Sturm concurred with Ryder and added, “I disagree strongly with this tax cap, not because I want to spend money, but being under .73%—this governor has put the onus on town boards, as opposed to the New York State Legislature, which if they really wanted to help us they would do some meaningful tax reform such as [addressing] tax exempt properties.”

The board passed the override measure unanimously.

Offer on golf course property

In a lenghty process, the town acquired two parcels collectively known as the former Smallwood Golf Course. About 124 acres of the property are now forever wild, thanks to a conservation easement, and are used as a town park called the Smallwood Forest Preserve. Another 20 acres of the property will become a sand-mining operation, saving taxpayers some $80,000 to $100,000 per year on sand used on roadways in winter once the mining operation is started.

A third portion of the property is called “the development parcel,” which the town is obligated to market to possible buyers; the property has been for sale since 2011. At the meeting, Sturm said they had received an offer of $105,000 for the 40-acre parcel. The buyer plans to build one or two homes on the property. The board voted to grant the supervisor and the town attorney authority to negotiate the deal.