‘I proudly voted No,’ Republican Councilman & former mayoral candidate Anthony Merante posted on FaceBook after the meeting. Minority Leader Mike Breen voted Yes.

Mayor Mike Spano’s official statement (in part): “This budget is sound and responsible. While we don’t take breaking the tax cap lightly, this Budget enhances the quality of life services Yonkers residents deserve and expect, and saves dozens of critical school positions.”

By Anthony Merante | Yonkers City Council

[FB Video by Freddie Vazquez | Basement Politics]

Yesterday the Yonkers administration and City Council failed the Yonkers taxpayers. Taxes were raised 5.45% and we still do not have a plan.

In addition, using $68 million in Fund Balance (savings) the future is still bleak. I can see additional tax increases of 4 or 5 percent in the next two years.

The state comptroller has criticized our budget, but he has some nerve. Albany has frozen Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) at $108 million for 12 years.

With inflation, that amount should easily be $130 million -$ 140 million. We would have an additional $150 million-$200 million. Albany continues to shortchange us with our own State sales and income taxes.

We should also be aggressive with Washington. The Ramada Hotel continues to house illegal immigrants. It is not an extended stay hotel.

We should pursue collecting the $5,000 per day per room penalties due for the 100 rooms booked that would be $182 million. Taxpayers are now shelling out $ 3.5 million a year to house these migrants.

City government must stop looking to pick the pockets of Yonkers homeowners with constant property tax increases. Homeowners are not ATMs! The reality today is Inflation is crushing consumers. We have sky high rents, rising prices on everything from food to gas.

This tax increase hurts many especially those on fixed incomes. Now is not the time to be raising taxes.

We must also curtail tax giveaways to developers to build high-rise rentals. These rentals deprive us of tax dollars we could use now and only bring us transient residents.

Instead, we should focus on incentivizing the building of condos and co-ops that create homeownership which will generate much needed tax revenue.

Finally, how can we raise taxes on the taxpayers and give ourselves a raise. That is adding insult to injury.

City councils in the past, voted raises for future Mayors and City Councils – not their own – and they would do it with savings, not tax increases. That means they earned it. I proudly voted no on this budget. ##