Speedy Public Hearing on 2023 Budget - Nov 10

The Town Board held a special meeting on November 10, using the large board room to meet for less than 30 minutes. This forced the Wappingers Historical Society who was hosting a very well attended lecture by Evan Pritchard (Mi’kmaq), who was speaking on Indigenous Wappingers to cram themselves into the small Senior Center Room for a two hour lecture.

No overview or summary of the Wappinger 2023 budget was presented, rather it was assumed that citizens were able to understand the unannotated, with no narrative, set of numbers posted on the town website. It was noted that the budget was under the 2% increase mandated by the state - but no explanation of why there would not be a decrease, what the interest on the bond payments were paying for, what the fund balance would be at the end of the projected business cycle, what the deltas between 2022 and 2023 budgets, a projection of 2022 actual spending and any particular objectives or special projects in 2023 that would require new or increased funding. There were no public comments and the budget resolution was tabled by the Town Board.

There! we can check-off that requirement!