FREDONIA, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Village of Fredonia is considering a 65% property tax hike, and village trustees tell 7 News, “the only other option is to give up services.”
According to village trustee Jon Espersen, that tax increase would cost residents an additional “$550 or so per household per pay period.”
“Inflation went up 35% over a five-year period, the village didn’t raise taxes,” Espersen said.
Last year, residents worried about a proposed 19% property tax increase, but that was eventually knocked down to just 5.8%.
Q: "Is that [kind of reduction] something we could see here too, or is this different?"
Village trustee Nicole Siracuse: “This is totally different. A big part of this year’s tax increase is paying back the money we just borrowed at the end of this fiscal year."
According to Espersen, the loan to help fund the village totaled roughly $800,000. That large loan, plus several other things, like paying for career firefighters and EMTs, are some of the many reasons trustees attribute the tax hike to.
Q: "Are there any other options than a 65% increase?"
Espersen: “The only other option is to give up services, and I don’t believe that is an option. I don’t believe that’s something we can do.”
Siracuse: “We tried our best, but unless we are going to look at cutting any services, we have to do what we have to do in order to keep our village running… No good options left for us, unfortunately.”
The trustees told me they plan to pass the budget at the next board meeting on April 28. A final budget is due to the State by May 1.
