As Village Budget Gets Scrutiny, Port Chester Homeowners Face Average $346 Tax Hike

Port Chester village officials introduced their $36 million 2013-2014 proposed budget at a public hearing Monday night, projecting a 4.26 percent increase in the tax levy that would mean an average tax hike of about $346 for Port Chester homeowners.

As members of the Board of Trustees go into a budget workshop session tonight to put the budget plan under a microscope, they also face financial projections that within a few years Port Chester faces budget shortfalls without steps taken today to prevent that problem.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," said Port Chester Mayor Neil Pagano.

From Port Chester Village Manager Christopher Steers, a key point of his tenative budget is the impact of property assessments - the taxable valued of local real estate - in Port Chester. Steers said assessment in the village have dropped 8.5 percent, translating to $2 million in lost revenues to the village.

Steers said the village has seen steay declines in assessments since 2009 and the trend is continuing.

For the 2013-2014 budget, Steers sees the average assessed value of a home in Port Chester at $439,000. Based on the tentative budget, which won't be finalized by the village Board of Trustees until April 29, the owner of that average home in Port Chester would see village taxes go up from $3,564 to $3,910.

The village taxes do not include Port Chester school district taxes. Those are separate and based on the budget compiled by the school district and voted upon by the residents of the school district. Of the property tax bills received by Port Chester property owners, Steers said the village portion is about 20 cents on the dollar.

Steers said that based on the state's budget formulas, the proposed 4.26 increase in the village tax levy would be within that state-mandated budget cap. 

The tentative budget calls for $1.3 million in increased spending, with $900,000 of that directly tied to personnel-related benefits costs. The plan includes funding for two new Port Chester Police officers and creates 2.5 positions in the DPW that are currently called "caretakers." Steers said these positions are created by using funds currently paid for cleaning contracts and stippends, with the new positions giving the village greater flexibility to address key needs.

To offset expenses, the Port Chester village staff has proposed measures to increase revenue for the village by:

- Increasing parking fees from 75 cents per hour to $1 per hour.

- Replace remaining coin-fed parking meters with the electronic meter kiosks already in use downtown.

- Increase the hours that parking fees are in effect.

- Increase fees for Building Department services.

- Increase fees for the planning and zoning applications.

The village Board of Trustees dives deeper into the budget at tonight's workshop session, set for 6:30 p.m. at the Port Chester Senior Center adjacent to Village Hall, 222 Grace Church St.