The Village Board is attempting a permanent power grab by dissolving our independent Water Board. Make no mistake: this has absolutely nothing to do with improving efficiency. This is a desperate, short-sighted money grab designed to plug massive holes in a general budget built on guesswork and fiscal incompetence.
The Comptroller’s Warning: Severe Mismanagement
Don’t just take my word for it. The New York State Comptroller’s recent audit exposed a shocking lack of oversight by the Village Board, explicitly stating:
“The Board did not adequately monitor capital projects… Records were not maintained for all capital projects, including a complete financial history and all written agreements with contractors and other vendors. Further, bond proceeds were not used for their intended purposes, such as repairing Village infrastructure.“
They didn’t track the money, they didn’t keep proper records, and they misused bond funds meant for fixing our infrastructure. Now that their financial house of cards is collapsing, they are trying to seize full control of our water revenues to bail themselves out and mask their own deficits. If they succeed, they are discussing plans to shut down our independent wells and put us back on Poughkeepsie water.
The Secret “Word-of-Mouth” Discount Scandal
As if the $$$$$$ fund raid wasn’t enough, tonight’s agenda also includes a public hearing on the “Senior Water Rate”—a program that exposes the depth of the board’s insider politics.
An independent citizen Water Board commission recently uncovered that this discount program was never officially voted on, and no formal rules or procedures ever existed. Instead, a hand-picked group of residents—including Village Board members themselves and their close associates—were quietly placed on the discounted rate through an unofficial, insider “word-of-mouth” network.
The Village Board and the Village Attorney knew about this unfair, undocumented favoritism for a long time and have done absolutely nothing. It was only exposed because a dedicated, citizen-led water commissioner dug up the truth and went public with it.
Now, in the ultimate act of retaliation and cover-up, the Village Board is trying to eliminate the citizen water commission. Instead of thanking these volunteers for exposing the boarderline corruption, the Board wants to get rid the very watchdogs who brought this unregulated, unfair discount into the public light. They hope to ensure there is no one left to question their actions or look at the books.
PACK VILLAGE HALL TONIGHT!
They mismanaged the general budget, they raided our infrastructure funds, they gave “some” residents secret water discounts, and now they want to dissolve the very Water Board that caught them.
We cannot let them sell out our independent water source to cover up their financial wreckage. Show up, bring your neighbors, and demand accountability.
- WHEN: TONIGHT — Wednesday, June 24 at 6:00 PM
- WHERE: Wappingers Falls Village Hall
- WHAT: Public hearings on the elimination of the Water Board and the senior water rate scandal.
Be there at 6:00 PM. Our water, our money, our future.