Suffern residents will see their property taxes go up $234 on average after the village passed its $14.2 million budget set to take effect June first. The Journal News reports the board voted 3-2 to break the state-mandated 2 percent property tax cap. To meet the cap they would have had to cut about $1.2 million from the mayor’s proposed budget.
News
Orangetown Looks to Make Cycling Safer on Area Roads
Cyclists are out now in full force on area roads and the town of Orangetown is hoping to make it safer for everyone to share and enjoy them. Supervisor Chris Day says state law doesn’t prevent cyclists from riding in packs or side-by-side, but the town doesn’t have that specific law either, so he’d like to establish a local law and encourage them to ride single file, for safety’s sake…
Rockland Bicycling Club board member, Rita Joachim, is hopeful this could work, but says motorists have their responsibilities too…
In 2012, New York ranked 10th in the nation with nearly five deaths for every two million residents. Florida has the most with more than double that number.
New Orangetown Police Chief Takes Oath at Town Board Meeting
Orangetown has a new chief of police. Former Captain Donald Butterworth was sworn-in earlier this week, replacing former Chief Kevin Nulty, who is now officially retired. Chief Butterworth says he’s taking over an already well-trained department…
Chief Nulty spent more than 40 years as an officer in Rockland County, with almost half that as Orangetown’s chief.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Month, observed to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and to stop the stigma associated with it. Rockland County Sheriff Lou Falco says around two-thirds of the people in the county jail suffer from some form of mental illness…
Falco says sometimes one’s mental illness can be made even worse when people self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. The National Alliance on Mental Illness says one in five people will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime.
Marian Shrine Members Head to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for “Alive from NY” Rally
Members of the Marian Shrine are hopping on a bus tomorrow morning to join a pro-life rally at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Father Steve Ryan says they’ll attend the twelve noon mass and then head over to Times Square for the “Alive from New York” rally…
The bus leave Marian Shrine in Stony Point at 10:30 tomorrow morning. If you’re interested there is still space on the bus, call Father Ryan 845-947-2200.