No comment on the Village of New Paltz budget public hearing

A public hearing is the only legally guaranteed opportunity for Village of New Paltz residents to weigh in on the proposed budget. Those comments may inform changes before the spending plan is adopted, but a lack of input is not as easy to interpret. It could be that no Village resident wanted to take time out on a weeknight to weigh in on a budget that does not include an increase to property taxes, or perhaps those residents are too busy even to know what’s being proposed. With no comments during the public hearing on March 23, Mayor Tim Rogers recommended keeping the hearing open until the next meeting, April 13, when the plan must be adopted.