Hampton residents question tax hike

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By Matthew Saari

Nearly two dozen Hamptonites turned out Monday evening to learn about and argue the need for the town to exceed the state-imposed tax cap.

Hampton supervisor Dave O’Brien opened the meeting by establishing expected conduct for public participation and then, for nearly an hour, residents grilled the town board on what they felt was an excessive increase in local taxation.

“You said the highway fund went up 17 percent – to me that’s a big number,” said resident Bob Cofresi. “Is there a reason where or why it went up?”

O’Brien deferred to Hampton highway superintendent Herb Sady to explain.

“The price of everything is going up – the price of salt went up; the price of paving went up,” Sady said. “Everybody knows: everything goes up but your wallet stays small.”

This explanation did little to satisfy Cofresi.

“I’m aware of that but what I’m questioning is 17 percent is an astounding number,” he said. “I don’t believe the cost of living goes up 17 percent.”

 

This is only a preview of the story published in the Whitehall Times. To read the full story, pick up a print copy of this week’s paper at the newsstand or read it online here.

 

This is only a preview of the story published in the Granville Sentinel. To read the full story, pick up a print copy of this week’s paper at the newsstand or read it online here.