Mount Vernon Mayor To Hold Outdoor Town Hall On City Budget Sunday

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Mayor Richard Thomas will host a town hall at Memorial Field. On the agenda: an update on the illegal dumping at Memorial Field and a detailed presentation on his $61.9 million budget proposal for 2018.

WHO: Mayor Richard Thomas

WHAT: FY 2018 Budget Presentation

WHERE: Memorial Field, Mount Vernon, NY 10550

WHEN: 4 p.m. Sunday, September 24, 2017

ABOUT THE 2018 BUDGET:

The proposed property tax rate increase is just under 5 percent. That takes into consideration the federally mandated reconstruction of the city's failed sewer system, Thomas said.

His budget prioritizes public safety in the City of Mount Vernon – proposing more police officers and more firefighters as well as restoring the position of Police Commissioner and Inspector General, he said.

“We are strengthening public safety and supporting the men and women that go to work every day to keep us safe," Thomas said. "This budget restores a dozen police officers. It adds five firefighters and inspectors to the Fire Department. This is a budget for Mount Vernon and it allows us to continue moving forward. Public safety is essential to enhancing our quality of life, raising property values, and keeping our city safe and secure. In addition, the city’s current construction boom and revenue-enhancing measures means we can keep the tax rate to a modest 4.87 percent increase.”

The known liabilities include sewers, Memorial Field clean-up, DPW yard clean-up, and the Urban Renewal Agency.

These "amount to staggering threats to property taxes due to past obstructionism by the City Council and Comptroller Maureen Walker," Thomas said. "We have diligently worked to address these penalties; however, as the State Supreme Court ruled 'political animus' on the part of Comptroller Walker and the City Council has sabotaged our administration and our city. There is a 'significant monetary penalty' and the City Council must be prepared to allocate millions to pay for their willful and repeated dereliction of duty."

ABOUT THE 2018 FY BUDGET PROPOSAL

• 4.87 % percent tax rate
• Average tax increase on a home assessed at $12,000 amounts to less than $20 a month ($231.60).
• Adds a dozen new police officers
• Restores funding for a Police Commissioner, allowing the city to recruit a talented visionary to lead the Department
• Adds five firefighters
• ·Restores an Inspector General.

See more about the budget here.

Image: Memorial Field in Mount Vernon via google.maps