Since day one, my main priority has been to protect Clarkstown’s taxpayers. That’s why
I am especially proud to present a tentative budget for 2027 with a zero percent tax
increase. This budget is taxpayer friendly, while maintaining the top-notch essential
services that Clarkstown residents expect and deserve. While the budget has not been
finalized yet and there is still work to be done, the Town Council and I are optimistic we
can keep taxes flat in 2027, marking the 4th time my administration will have
accomplished this feat.
The 2027 budget covers the town’s full fiscal year, which runs from January 1 to
December 31, 2027. The final budget will be presented for approval on November 5,
2026 where residents are invited to make public comments. During the coming weeks,
the Town Board will work with department heads to tackle the remaining pressing
factors as we finalize the 2027 budget.
As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t the first time we’ve delivered the welcome news of a
zero tax increase for Clarkstown’s taxpayers. We delivered the same result in 2017 and
2024, and actually provided tax relief with a slight decrease in 2018. This is not an easy
task to accomplish. The Town has faced a host of challenges over this decade-long
span, including the COVID pandemic and multiple years of aggressive inflation and
union contract negotiations.
This outstanding news comes on the heels of two additional positive affirmations of our
strong fiscal management practices. Just last week, the New York State Comptroller
awarded Clarkstown its lowest Fiscal Stress Score in modern history. More good news
followed on Monday when credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) reaffirmed
the Town’s “AA” bond rating, the highest ranking of any town in Rockland County. The
Supervisor has also announced that despite rising interest rates this year, Clarkstown
will reduce its annual borrowing, reduce overall debt by $4M, and 75% of the town’s
debt is now scheduled to be paid off within 10 years.
Improving the town’s finances was the most important mission my administration faced.
When I first took office in 2016, Clarkstown’s finances were in severe decline. Years of
mismanagement and rampant reserve spending resulted in the town’s designation as
one of New York State’s most fiscally stressed towns. Standard & Poor’s downgraded
the town’s bond rating twice in 2015. The town was facing insolvency and residents had
good reason to worry about what that meant for their tax bills, their services, and the
town’s ability to invest in its own future. The new Town Board and I vowed to turn that
around. In the decade since, we’ve consistently delivered.
We’ve turned one of our most pressing challenges into a position of strength, and even
more impressively, we’ve accomplished this while keeping taxes in check for our
residents. I’m very proud of the hard work that our amazing staff and a number of like-
minded Council members have contributed over the years. Clarkstown is in great fiscal
shape now, and well-positioned for the future.
