Statement from the Town Supervisor Regarding the Orange County Supreme Court's Decision

The Town is pleased to report that the Orange County Supreme Court has dismissed the lawsuit brought by the Villages of Monroe and Harriman against the Town of Monroe concerning the application of taxes arising from the Town's purchase of the Rye Hill property. The Court agreed with the Town's arguments in the litigation that the Town acted properly in applying the costs of the purchase on a town-wide basis. Thankfully, during the budget planning process for the 2025 budget, the Budget Officer offset the debt service of the purchase by adjusting sales tax in the A fund which benefits both Village and Town residents.

Unfortunately, Village taxpayers in Harriman and Monroe incurred the additional, unnecessary expense of the legal proceeding brought by the Villages. The Village of
Monroe alone spent approximately $55,000 of Village taxpayer dollars through January of 2025 on this litigation. By contrast, the Town of Monroe's legal counsel was able to defend the litigation and have it dismissed at approximately 1/4 of that cost.

It is unfortunate that the Village taxpayers in Harriman and Monroe are left having to shoulder the significant cost of this litigation brought by the Villages. The villages used taxpayer funds to represent private property owners, including the Village of Monroe's attorney who owns property in the Village and was made a plaintiff in the case. The villages also used taxpayer funds to represent the private interests of their respective village board members as plaintiffs. As the Town's legal counsel pointed out in the court papers, such an expenditure of Village funds for private purposes is completely improper under the law. Hopefully, the Village will do the right thing now and reimburse the Village taxpayers by requiring these private plaintiffs to pay their fair share of the litigation expenses instead of sticking taxpayers with the bill.

I remain dedicated to the Town of Monroe continuing to work together with both Villages for the benefit of our residents.

Tony Cardone
Supervisor, Town of Monroe

Welcome

To The

Town of Monroe

Orange County, NY

Photography by Ed Scully

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A Message from the Supervisor

On behalf of the Town Board, we welcome you to the Town of Monroe! Located in the heart of the Hudson Valley, the town was incorporated in 1799 and includes the Village of Monroe and Village of Harriman. Known as the Lake Region, the Town of Monroe is home to Round Lake, Walton Lake and Mombasha Lake. There is so much to do and see in our beautiful community. Whether you are a resident or visitor, we truly hope you take advantage of the variety of sights, activities and small businesses in our area.

In January 2018, the Town Board adopted the "Making An Impact" motto as a way to reinforce our belief that when we make an impact on someone's life every day, we all benefit in a positive way! Through every interaction with the public, it is our goal to answer your questions and assist you in finding solutions to ensure a positive experience. We hope you find our website to be a helpful start to providing important information related to our municipal boards, departments and the services we provide, as well as community events and news. Thank you for stopping by. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Cordially,

Tony Cardone
Supervisor, Town of Monroe