Poll Area

Mayor Hawkins supports changing Orange’s budget to a calendar year basis.

Statement by Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, Jr.

“I strongly support changing the budget cycle of Orange from a fiscal year basis to a calendar year. A resolution to accomplish this is on the agenda of the December 21st City Council meeting. The change would become effective on January 1, 2012.

This change would help taxpayers in understanding their tax bills and make it easier for them to compare their tax bills from year to year.

Orange and other towns switched to a state fiscal year budget cycle at a time when the state had considerably more discretionary aid dollars to award to municipalities. It was thought at the time that it would be better for the towns to be on the same budget cycle as the state government to eliminate the long delay in getting money from the state, which typically awards municipal funding in August and September.

Today, the state has little money for discretionary aid, and there is no longer any advantage to being on the state fiscal year budget cycle. The advantage of being on the calendar year budget cycle for taxpayers is that it will be easier for them to understand their tax bill because both the tax billings and the budget that the bills support will be on the same calendar year cycle.”