2025 Proposed Budget Released
New Rochelle Acting City Manager Wilfredo Melendez recently released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025. In summary, the $275.3 million budget provides a balanced budget while maintaining service levels and continuing the City’s investment in critical infrastructure.
The proposed tax rate increase of 1.83% is in compliance with the New York State tax cap legislation. The average homeowner will see an annual property tax increase of $76, or approximately $6 per month.
The proposed 2025 budget continues the City of New Rochelle’s on-going commitment to public safety, infrastructure modernization, climate change preparedness, community engagement, and economic development. The budget increases the on-duty minimum staffing for the Fire Department to 38, in step with directives from the Fire Department Staffing Study and NFPA/OSHA recognized industry standards. To provide a friendlier environment for residents to live, work, and play the budget provides for increased quality of life violation enforcement by the Police Department. The modernization of the City’s aging infrastructure will continue as a result of the updated 10-year Capital Plan. The enhancement of New Rochelle’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment, and the completion of the City’s updated Sustainability Plan, GreeNR, will support the City’s climate change response, in part by leveraging funding through the Direct Pay Program. The 2025 budget facilitates community engagement by providing the resources necessary to enrich programming for youth and seniors, and builds upon the successes of 2024 with increased public activations. Economic development remains a priority as the City continues the implementation of the Retail Strategic Plan for the downtown, with an emphasis on the Anderson Plaza Vanguard District. The budget also maintains the City’s investment in community development, emphasizing job training, placement, and housing assistance programs.
Union contractual obligations for employee salaries, health insurance and pension increases account for the remainder of the rise in expenses included in the proposed budget. These increases will be funded through a combination of tax revenue, fees, grant funding and anticipated increases in one-time revenue streams generated from the City’s development program.
The 2025 proposed budget includes an updated Ten-Year Capital Plan extending the plan through 2034 and investing a proposed $293.8 million in capital projects. Some of the major projects in the FY 2025 Capital Budget include Year 2 of City’s Ten-Year Flood Mitigation Plan, improvements to Quaker Ridge Road, continued street resurfacing and traffic calming citywide, parks improvements, and continued upgrades to the City’s sanitary sewers and storm drains. The FY 2025 Capital Budget also includes the replacement of aging vehicles and equipment in multiple departments, and the creation of a Citywide Waste Management Plan.
Acting City Manager Melendez said, “I am grateful for the support and hard work of City staff in preparing this proposed budget, which meets our fundamental obligation of fiscal responsibility as effective stewards of taxpayer dollars, and at the same time reinvests in our community.”
Copies of the proposed budget are available in the City Clerk’s office, at the New Rochelle Public Library and on the City’s website www.newrochelleny.com. The City Council will conduct budget review meetings in November and December and hold a Public Hearing on December 3rd in advance of the adoption of a tax rate in December.