Badly timed Sleepy Hollow increase does little

Grappling with budget deficits that have forced difficult and sometimes unpopular choices, Sleepy Hollow leaders have whittled what was once a projected $230,000 budget shortfall down to below $25,000.

Convinced they've done all the cutting they can, officials are now turning to voters seeking a quarter-percent increase in the village's sales tax to help close the gap. The proposal is not without some merit.

The tax would not fall only on residents, but on anyone who shops at the village's small number of businesses. And even with the hike which would raise the total sales tax in the community from 7.5 to 7.75 percent the village's rate remains equal to or below its neighbors.

Nonetheless, we are hesitant to endorse an additional burden on taxpayers right now, especially one that does little to solve a problem. Village officials say the hike, if approved, would generate between $3,600 and $4,000 a year for the village, far less than what is necessary to plug the budget gap.

Under those circumstances, the village may be better served promoting its lower sales tax to attract more shoppers and businesses, a move that could benefit both its merchants and its bottom line.

We recommend a “No” vote.