Village residents get town tax bill with new police charge

Warwick — Town tax bills are out and Village of Warwick residents have a new line item to pay - police service. This year starts a new way for the village to pay the town for its police service. For the past 15 years, the village has contracted with the town to provide police service after the two departments merged in 1991. Now, because of a recommendation from the New York State Comptroller’s Office, the town is charging village residents for police service based on assessment instead of through a contract. But what has many residents calling Village Hall is the issue that they paid the village for a year’s worth of police service in June. Now they are paying again for the time between January and May. The village’s fiscal year is from June through May. The town’s fiscal year runs from January through December. So when village residents paid their taxes last June, their police service was paid through the end of May 2006. Mayor Michael Newhard said village residents are not being double taxed. Instead, the time periods are overlapping but residents will see a decrease in their village taxes come June. “We will make sure that the money already paid (to the village) is earmarked for village police services in the next budget,” Newhard said. Police coverage is not changing, according to both Newhard and town Supervisor Michael Sweeton. Two officers will patrol the village 24 hours a day. However, one officer is paid through the town’s assessment and considered general service. The other patrol is paid by the village in June through a new inter-municipal agreement between the town and village. That agreement has not been signed but has been agreed upon by both parties, according to Sweeton. “The village will get the same police service as before for less money,” said Sweeton. “They will realize a $160,000 savings.” The village was paying 39 percent of the total police budget. In 2004 that was $1,507,897; in 2005 it was $1,628,394; in 2006 the contracted amount would have been $1,918,376. With the new way to contract, the total cost is $1,758,825. Figures from the village’s accountant, Mike Vernieri, indicate that the average village homeowner will pay approximately $175 for police services to the town from January to May 2006. In June, according to Vernieri, village residents should see a decrease in their village taxes of $4.50 per $1,000 of assessed value or about $200 for the average homeowner. “It is clear cut from our end,” said Sweeton. “This is a savings to village residents.”