Last week, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a report on sales tax collections for 2017 and 2018. The reports said that Sullivan
County collected $39,885,982 in 2017 and $46,428,015 in 2018, a year-over-year percentage increase of 16.40 percent. Other local officials chimed in last Friday. Village of Liberty Mayor Ron Stabak pointed out that “it’s well known that over 50 percent of this community is low to moderate low income. I know many people that are working two jobs just to stay in their houses because their taxes are high. This is a blow to the local community. The state has all sorts of abilities... to generate revenue that I don’t. I have cut middle management..we are doing our best..the police force has been reduced. We are doing our best. We are what I consider a lean money-operating machine. “I’m disappointed and begging you governor, please don’t do this. Please don’t do that to the people of this community.” Town of Callicoon Supervisor Tom Bose noted that the town shares services with the Village of Jeffersonville and the Sullivan West Central School District. He said that the town has been able to stay within the two percent tax cap for many years and has also kept a tight budget, including the use of an outdoor wood-burning stove to heat his highway department and having very little long term debt. But with this proposed cut, Bose said the town might have to cut the town’s participation in the County-wide cleanup in the Spring and Fall for three days each season. “It costs our town $10,000 each year just to provide that cleanup service. If we cut that out, it would almost make up the loss of revenue (from state). I don’t want to do that. I think it would be foolish. It’s a great serviced to provide to our residents.” Bose said if he had to cut that service, people would see garbage alongside “our beautiful roads.” Bose added that he is also worried about the possible loss of extreme winter recovery funding from the state that he said totalled $40,000. Town of Thompson Supervisor Bill Rieber said: “This is damaging to almost all the small towns in upstate New York. My encouragement to the governor and to our representatives who are listening and doing the right thing, is to quickly put this to bed, take this out of the budget
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