Washingtonville Rebuts State Comptroller Over $7.4M 2026-27 Budget Findings

The State Comptroller’s Office questioned key parts of Washingtonville’s tentative $7.4 million 2026-27 budget, saying missing financial reports and optimistic revenue estimates could leave the village facing shortfalls, and village officials pushed back this week.

In a January 22, 2026 letter (Report No. B26-6-1) signed out of the Comptroller’s Albany office, staff said the village failed to provide required quarterly trial balance reports for the 2025-26 fiscal year as of January 16, 2026. The letter, addressed to Mayor Tom DeVinko and the Village Board of Trustees at 9 Fairlawn Drive, also flagged two revenue lines as potentially overstated: water rents and mortgage tax. The Comptroller’s projection for water rents is $892,600 compared with the village’s $986,000 budgeted figure, a difference of about $93,400. For mortgage tax, the Comptroller projected $94,700 while the village budgeted $160,000, a gap of roughly $65,300.

The OSC letter also referenced Chapter 206 of the Laws of 2023, noting the statute allows the village to issue debt up to $4.5 million to liquidate accumulated deficits but that village officials have not complied with some Chapter 206 requirements. The office requested that Washingtonville submit its adopted budget for review and said it will make recommendations as appropriate.

Village leaders vigorously disputed several of the Comptroller’s assertions. The village issued a statement saying, “The Village does maintain up to date budget reports and the reports were provided to OSC during their budget review. The Board and departments heads monitor the budget regularly to make sure the funds are available.” On mortgage tax the village added, “For fiscal year 2024-2025 the Village received $194,089 in mortgage tax revenue and in fiscal year 2025-2026 the Village received $184,237. The Village’s estimate of $160,00 for 2026/2027 is reasonable,” Washingtonville countered, adding that its estimates for personal service costs are on point. (The village appears to intend $160,000.)

The disagreement over mortgage tax is stark: the village cites two recent years of receipts well above $160,000, while the Comptroller used a projection based on the most recent years that produced a much lower estimate. The Comptroller also said village officials were unable to reasonably estimate personal service costs and that only one of seven recommendations from a January 2025 review had been fully implemented.

For residents, the stakes are practical. Revenue shortfalls or procedural noncompliance can prompt midyear adjustments, reserve draws, service cuts, or future rate and tax decisions. The Comptroller’s request for an adopted budget review means further scrutiny is likely before the board finalizes spending.

Next steps include the Village Board’s adoption of the budget and the submission of that adopted plan to the Comptroller’s Office for review under Report B26-6-1. Residents who track water bills, local services, and village finances should watch upcoming board meetings and statements from Mayor Tom DeVinko and the Village Treasurer for documentation backing the village’s estimates and for any adjustments the board may make.