Town of Palm Tree: Not enough information or benefit

| 27 Jul 2017 | 01:26

    There has been a great deal of controversy about the Village of KJ receiving an additional 220 acres and becoming a new town called “Palm Tree.”
    Members of the United Monroe executive committee, Mike Egan, Emily Convers and John Allegro, negotiated the terms of Palm Tree behind closed doors, and neither they nor Gedalye Szegedin, the Village of KJ Administrator, have been forthcoming with details about the formation of this new town.
    When questions are asked, the townspeople of Monroe are told: “All will be revealed.”
    United Monroe is eager to have the creation of Palm Tree on the ballot this November.
    This would be a disastrous course of action for multiple reasons.
    One reason is that once the Village of KJ becomes Palm Tree, the Town of Monroe will lose $1.8 million in taxes (according to the Town Comptroller).
    That is a huge amount of money.
    Who will make up the difference in taxes?
    The residents of the Town of Monroe will. We will, not residents of Palm Tree.
    What does this mean for the average taxpayer in Monroe?
    Supervisor Doles asked his fellow Town Board members Mike McGinn, Tony Cardone and Rick Colon to hire an independent auditor to figure out exactly what this separation will cost the Monroe taxpayers.
    They refused. They said there was time to hire someone “later.”
    There is no time to lose on this.
    There has been no discussion of a buy out clause. Years ago, when the Village of KJ left the library, they paid money in a buy out to do so.
    Why has there been no discussion of a buy out clause here? The Town of Monroe will lose millions of dollars in taxes over the years. The Village of KJ should pay a substantial amount of money to help defray the cost to the Town of Monroe taxpayers.
    That is one reason we need an independent auditor to help figure this out. Again, we need an independent auditor to figure this out, not any individual with an agenda.
    United Monroe constantly tells us that separation is the answer; it will get KJ out of our town elections and therefore end conflict.
    This is, unfortunately, not true at all.
    There are two main factions in KJ now, the Anash group, led by Gedalye Szegedin, and the KJ Alliance, led by Jake Firenze and Lipa Deutch. This separation will remove the Anash group, but it will not remove the KJ Alliance.
    In fact, the KJ Alliance is the group which owns 98 percent of all the buildable lots in Monroe, including the entire Rye Hill Corridor, Raywood Drive and most of Seven Springs Road. They will develop these lots, in fact, the Town Board is proposing to change zoning so they can build more on these lots.
    The KJ Alliance will remain in the Town of Monroe, Blooming Grove, Cornwall, Harriman and Woodbury. This separation will not change KJ voting in our elections in any way. The Alliance is here, and they will build, and they have the right to vote in all elections, including the M-W School District election.
    This separation does nothing to stop “East Ramapo” from happening here. In fact, It makes it even more likely, as the KJ Alliance will effectively run the town as there will be no opposition from any other group.
    The taxpayers of Monroe are constantly told how hard Egan, Convers, and Allegro worked on this deal, therefore, we have to go along with it.
    It doesn't matter how hard they worked - a bad deal is a bad deal, and to expect everyone else to suffer the consequences, and pay the price, literally, is arrogance of the first order.
    This proposal cannot make it to the ballot this November, for the simple reason the Village of KJ has the votes to override us. And they will.
    Please call the Orange County Legislature, and please tell them that it is way too soon to consider placing “Palm Tree” on the ballot. There are way too many unanswered questions, and right now, no benefits. The Town of Monroe will lose tax money and have to pay much more in taxes.
    And as for getting KJ out of our elections, that is impossible: KJ is here in Monroe and its population is growing.
    Kathryn Troiano
    Village of Monroe