North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena is proposing a $163.9 million budget for 2024 that includes a 10% property tax cut and maintains town services and programs.
Allocated in DeSena’s second spending plan is $91.9 million to the town’s general fund, $41.8 million to the town’s outside village fund, which covers services for residents who live outside incorporated villages, and $30.1 million for the 20 town-operated special districts, which create their own budgets.
In a statement, DeSena said her administration is projecting to end the year with a nearly $2 million surplus.
“My administration is working hard every day to put money back in taxpayers’ wallets because prior administrations have overtaxed homeowners unnecessarily and exorbitantly,” DeSena said. “Now, as I submit my 2024 Tentative Budget, I am proud to again cut taxes by record-setting amounts, putting millions of dollars back in the pockets of taxpayers.”
The North Hempstead Town Board finalized the budget schedule during their Oct. 3 meeting.
A work session on the tentative budget will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. A tentative budget hearing will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. and a preliminary budget hearing and final vote will be held on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.
Town board members can make changes and amendments to the budget DeSena submitted prior to the vote, which North Hempstead has typically held prior to Election Day.
The general fund tax levy is $22,921,376 according to the tentative budget, compared to $25,468,196 in the 2023 adopted budget, a 10% decrease. The tax levy for the town outside village fund will also decrease by 10% from the current year.
Taxpayers who pay both general and town outside village fund taxes would save an average of $183.12 and those who pay solely general fund taxes would save an average of $38.06, according to the supervisor’s office.
This is the second time in as many years that the tentative budget was submitted without a full-time comptroller. Kristen Schwaner, who was hired earlier this year after a long bipartisan search process, resigned in August.
Paul Wood, the town’s finance director, was appointed as interim comptroller, similar to last year.
