North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, alongside two fellow board Republicans, announced they will propose a tax cut for the 2025 budget Wednesday, hours before the board will convene to vote on the budget.
The announcement will be held Wednesday at noon with Council Members Ed Scott and Dennis Walsh. The town board will convene at 7 p.m. later that day to vote on the budget – the last day they can vote on one.
The announcement will come after weeks of delays in adopting the budget after Council Member Robert Troiano proposed a $5 million tax cut Oct. 29.
“I am happy that Jen has finally decided to follow me and my Democratic colleagues in proposing a much-needed tax cut for our residents,” Troiano said in a statement to Schneps Media Long Island. “After two months of budget preparation by the supervisor, it took our proposal to get her to cut the fat in her own budget submission.”
The announcement of DeSena’s soon-to-be-proposed tax cut said Troiano’s proposal was “ill-conceived” and “jeopardized the town’s long-term financial stability and credit rating by using the town’s general reserves to provide a cut in the coming year.”
Troiano previously cited at an Oct. 29 meeting DeSena’s words from a budget hearing in which she condemned the $26 million reserves at that time and called them “grossly overfunded.” The general fund reserves are projected to be at $25 million at the end of 2025.
DeSena’s communications office said her tax cut proposal is achieved through budget efficiencies and additional revenue from the operating budget.
The town board last met on Nov. 12 when the meeting was adjourned before the budget could be untabled and discussed despite Democrat board members trying to interject and prevent the meeting from ending.
The town board delayed a budget vote previously at its Oct. 29 meeting after Troiano proposed a tax cut that surprised some members.
The proposed $5 million tax cut, which Troiano estimated to be about a 20% reduction, would be made possible by using $6 million of the town’s general fund reserves.
The town originally proposed a $98 million budget for 2025, a 6.6% year-to-year increase, with taxes set to remain the same. Last year the board approved its 2024 budget with a 10% tax cut.
Troiano’s proposed tax cut would bring the general fund reserved down $20 million, or about 20% of the budget expenses, which he said is still deemed safe.
He said at the Oct. 29 meeting it is only required that the general fund reserve be at 10% of the town’s projected expenses. He said with the $98 million general fund budget proposed, only about $9 million in reserves would be needed.
Deputy Supervisor Joseph Scalero confirmed that a 20% reserve fund is safe, but that the percentage is contingent on the budgeted expenses, which grow every year and therefore diminish the percentage if the reserve does not grow with it.
DeSena said it is wise to keep a healthy reserve to cover unexpected expenses.
Troiano said residents face similar issues of unexpected expenses that a tax cut would help them with as well.
DeSena told Schneps Media LI that the budget was not discussed or voted on Nov. 12 to allow council members to assess Troiano’s tax cut proposal further.
“We need time to look at the numbers,” DeSena said.
When asked if she was considering the tax cut proposal, DeSena said the town “has to look at the numbers.”
The town has until Wednesday to adopt a budget under state law. If a budget is not adopted by then, the preliminary budget – which does not include the tax cut – would automatically be adopted.
If a tax cut is adopted, this would be the third consecutive year a cut is implemented.
