2027 Budget / Tax Cap Override

Opposed the 2% cap override, saying taxes are outrageous while services decline and her street barely gets plowed.

Asked the town to schedule another hearing because the 3 p.m. daytime slot kept working people away.

Opposed the raises and cap override, citing potholes, illegal parking, black-car operators, and luxury apartments being built with tax support.

Said the town has pierced the cap repeatedly in her seven years, called the raises tone-deaf, and formally asked the board to table the vote and hold an evening hearing.

Echoed the prior speaker, objected that officials effectively vote themselves raises, and asked for a rescheduled meeting more residents can attend.

A disabled veteran on a fixed income who cited a $1,000 tax increase two years ago and said an evening hearing would fill the room.

Gave the most detailed fiscal critique: 9.9% levy increase in 2024 plus ~6% now compounds to 16.5% versus ~4% at the cap, and asked the board to demonstrate savings before overriding.

Called the proposed raises — 9.7% clerk, 13% receiver, 29.3% supervisor — audacious, criticized the cap override, and the 3 p.m. hearing timing.

Asked why the meeting was at 3 p.m., requested an independent budget review, and questioned whether commercial properties and developers pay their fair share.

Cited the budget's own claim of strong reserves and AAA rating and asked why the cap override is necessary; urged the board to reject it or show every dollar.

Asked whether STAR rebates drop when taxes rise and whether the Avalon apartments got a tax abatement; the board agreed to get answers.

Asked for an evening meeting, criticized traffic and understaffed policing, questioned the size of the raises, and complained about credit card fees on tax payments.

Said she took a $450 Uber from the train to be there, described fear over affordability, and asked the board to delay the increase and hold educational sessions.

Asked why the state cap is treated as optional without letting residents vote, and asked whether the increase serves residents or only the board.

Left work early to attend, warned rising taxes may force her from her home, and asked for a Q&A session with specific line-item answers.

Wearing black 'in mourning' for the working middle class and fixed-income seniors, demanded accountability: 'Explain yourselves.'

Called the raises out of touch and hypocritical given demands on department heads, and said the board should be ashamed.

Said her tax payment exceeds her mortgage, described unsafe sightlines at her corner and years of unanswered requests, and criticized PILOT tax abatements.

A CPA who said even she can't afford rising costs and asked the board not to raise taxes so her family can stay on Long Island.

Echoed the tax concerns, asked for transparency on raises and why apartment complexes and the Salt Shack beach concession operate as they do.

The lone supporter of a 'reasonable tax increase,' while agreeing the hearing should have been at night and questioning school superintendent pay instead.

Demanded to know where the new tax money would go, pressed the board for answers on the record, and referenced the FBI investigation.

A father of three who said friends and family have been priced out, called the 29% raise appalling, and said it should be a community vote.

Said her mother lost her senior tax exemption over a $2,500 lotto win and asked the board to weigh everyone's struggles.