While the legitimacy of this “unauthorized” discount is already questionable, until recent years the Village’s own historical rate schedules were clear: To be eligible for the Senior Rate, the property must be a primary residence and the owner must be a recipient of the Enhanced STAR tax exemption.
I have reviewed the 2025 Final Tax Rolls for both sides of the Village, and the math simply doesn’t add up for Village Hall:
The “Enhanced STAR” Breakdown:
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Wappinger side of the Village: 37 eligible households
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Poughkeepsie side of the Village: 94 eligible households
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TOTAL ELIGIBLE USERS: 131
The Oversight Failure:
The Village currently grants this discount to 190 users. If the Village’s own rules say only 131 are eligible, that means 59 users—or 31% of the list—are receiving a discount they are not entitled to.
This isn’t just a clerical error; it is a total lack of financial oversight by the Board of Trustees. While hundreds of eligible seniors are left out of the loop and overcharged, nearly 60 others are receiving a 43% “gift” of taxpayer-funded utility credits with without even meeting the village’s own rules..
Who is auditing this list? Who authorized these 59 extra names? It is time for the Board to stop mismanaging and hiding the records on public funds. We need a full, independent audit of the water and sewer billing department immediately.
*Because of the Village of Wappingers Falls lack of transparency, I need to resort to available records. If any board member believes my research is not accurate, please provide documentation.