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Dear Residents,
On Tuesday evening, the Town of Orangetown held its 2025 Reorganization Meeting, during which I delivered my annual State of the Town address. While the full remarks are too extensive to include here, the meeting can be viewed online and I am sharing a summary below.
1. I am happy to report that Orangetown continues to maintain a strong financial position and has the highest bond rating in the County at Aa2. In addition, the NYS Comptroller’s office has awarded Orangetown the best score possible on its fiscal stress– a score of 0.0 out of 100 – with no designation for stress. This is the second year in a row the Town has received a perfect score.
2. Equally important is transparency of the Town’s Finances. The Government Finance Officers Association has again awarded Orangetown a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. This is the 18th year in a row that the Town achieved this national award and Orangetown is the only municipality in the County to receive it.
3. Looking to 2026, the Town was able to pass a budget that stayed under the 2% tax cap, despite salary increases from the new CSEA contract and increases to health insurance costs. This was accomplished through conservative budgeting practices, strong performance at the golf courses, increased interest income and mortgage revenues, and the appropriation of $4.5 million from fund balance – while still maintaining a healthy fund balance of $29.8 million at the end of 2024.
4. While I am pleased that the budget was under the tax cap, I recognize that the total tax burden – including town, school and county taxes, as well as all of the taxing districts – is becoming unsustainable for many. So tonight, I pledge to continue looking for innovative ways to streamline government and think outside the box in order to reduce town taxes, and to be creative in our efforts to entice new businesses to come to Orangetown, creating new tax ratables. To this point, suggestions and ideas are always welcome.
Moving on from our finances, we did have some exciting news in 2025:
5. Orangetown became the proud owner of the property at 149-157 Piermont Avenue in South Nyack, the former Olson Center Property. It’s approximately 6.2 acres of land, on and under the Hudson River, and it’s the first time unincorporated Orangetown has owned Hudson River waterfront property. My office is currently working to salvage as much of the historic house as we can. Once that is done and the house is removed, the property will be operated as a passive park until long-term plans are developed with the help of professionals.
6. After several years, we finally saw the passage of the New York State Special Legislation needed to authorize Orangetown to take the steps necessary to establish a Community Preservation Fund. Thanks to Assemblyman Aron Wieder and Senator Bill Weber for sponsoring this legislation.
But there’s still work to be done. The Town is required to develop a plan and to submit the legislation to the voters, which will hopefully happen this November. If approved, it will allow Orangetown to institute a buyer-paid transfer fee on the purchase of certain real estate, with the funds being deposited into a dedicated account to be used by the Town to purchase property for preservation. More information will be available in the coming months.
7. One of my favorite events of last year was the dedication and renaming of the OMM Soccer Complex after Denis Troy, a former County Legislator and Town Board member, and current Deputy Town Supervisor. But this was not a renaming just for the sake of renaming; it was a recognition of Mr. Troy’s tireless commitment to our community, his dedication to public service, and his belief in the importance of spaces where our kids can come together, be active, and build memories. Denis has always been a champion of all youth sports programs and for that we honor him with this renaming.
8. Some of the more fun events we had last year were the first, hugely successful food truck festival at the Central Avenue Field; Produce Pete at the Pearl River Farmers Market; and an adult night at the Splash Pad to raise funds for the Penguin Plunge, a not-for-profit that works to help the families of severely ill children.
As we look ahead to 2026, here are a few things we are working on:
9. The installation of two water filling stations along the rail trail – one by the Blauvelt Library and the other at Depot Square in Sparkill – for walkers and runners and their four-legged friends; and shade structures installed at Veterans and Sparkill Parks, both paid for by NYS grants procured by former Assemblyman John McGowan.
10. Preliminary design work has started on the long-overdue traffic signal at the intersection of Hunt Road and Orangeburg Road, with a portion of the cost covered by a NYS grant procured by Assemblyman Wieder.
11. The installation of upgraded traffic control devices – with enhanced pedestrian safety features – at the intersections of Orangeburg Road & Dutch Hill Road, and Western Highway & Erie Street.
12. This summer, we will again be hosting a fundraiser at the Splash Pad – entitled the Dog Days of Summer. This event will raise funds for the Hudson Valley Humane Society, an organization that is near and dear to my heart.
13. This year is the 250th anniversary of our great Country and, thanks to Carmel Reilly and the dedicated members of the Orangetown USA250 Celebration Committee, there will be a parade, followed by a festival at the German Masonic Park on July 4, 2026. I want to thank the Blauvelt Fire Department and the American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 329, both of whom have already contributed $5,000 toward the event.
However, none of what is accomplished would be possible without the dedication of our department heads and town employees, who work every day to keep our local government running smoothly and serving the community. To all of them, I say thank you.
And, last but not least, I want to thank all of you, because it is all of you who make Orangetown a truly wonderful place to live.
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