TIMES
MID
HUDSON
Vol. 27, No 47
3
NOVEMBER 25, 2015
3
ONE DOLLAR
Shop Exceptional
locally!
seniors
Pages 27-29
Page 40
SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR
Feeding the masses
Newburgh
City Council
adopts 2016 St. Mary’s Outreach continues despite church closure
budget
By SHANTAL RILEY
[email protected]
Comptroller: Property tax
levy remains flat
By SHANTAL RILEY
[email protected]
The City of Newburgh Council adopted
the city’s 2016 budget on Monday. The
$43.5-million spending plan includes funds
for street paving, part-time code inspectors and fire department staff.
The budget brings a 1.31-percent
increase in the general fund, but keeps
property taxes at the same level as 2015.
The budget passed with a four-to-two vote
by the council.
The new tax levy of $19,462,564 produces
a homestead tax rate of $19.5 per $1,000 of
assessed property value and a non-homestead rate of $25.8 per $1,000 of assessed
property value. The rates bear 30-cent and
44-cent increases, respectively.
The homestead rate applies to singletwo- and three-family homes, explained
city Comptroller John Aber on Tuesday.
“The non-homestead rate is for four or
more families, as well as all commercial
properties,” he said.
The enterprise fund budget - separately
covering costs for sewer, water and sanitation - comes to $15,039,719, an increase
of 4.2 percent from the previous year, said
Continued on page 26
The line wrapped around the building
from the entryway all the way to the
rear parking lot.
“I need the help,” said Laurie Ewanish,
a city resident and mother of five as she
waited at the end of the line on Friday.
It was St. Mary’s Outreach Giving Day
and hundreds of people came away from
the building, formerly known as Mannix
Hall, carrying bags of potatoes, stuffing
and turkey to share with their families
over the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Our last Central Hudson bill was
$700,” Ewanish explained. “That’s why
I’m here.”
It was the outreach’s fourth annual
Thanksgiving Giving Day. “It’s been like
this all morning,” said volunteer Annie
Ryan as she scrambled to hand out gum
and toiletries.
Volunteers distributed frozen turkeys,
chicken, and beef, eggs, oil, margarine,
cheese, sour cream, stuffing, cranberry
sauce, mashed potatoes, juice, cereal
and soups.
The community also received coats,
clothes, baby formula, over-the-counter medicines, household and personal
hygiene items.
Approximately 17 tons of food, clothing, housewares and furniture were
distributed to about 500 families that
day, said Marietta Allen, director of St.
Mary’s Outreach.
The average family served by the
annual Giving Day makes anywhere
from $12,000 to $14,000 per year, Allen
said. “It’s abject poverty we’re dealing
Volunteer Shabab Islam, a student at GAMS Tech Magnet School, helps out at St. Mary’s
Outreach Giving Day on Friday.
with,” she said.
Mannix Hall is located on the St.
Mary’s Church campus on South Street.
The church was closed by the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of New York over
the summer, despite a spirited campaign
by parishioners to keep the church
open. Head Start of Orange County now
occupies the building.
St. Mary’s Parish was merged with
WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM
St. Patrick’s Parish as part of the
Archdiocese’s Making All Things New
restructuring initiative. However, St.
Mary’s Outreach was permitted to
remain open because of its services to
the community. “We’re still kicking,”
Allen said Friday.
The outreach distributes approximately 150 tons of food, clothing, house
Continued on page 26