A Record of Mismanagement:
Why Your Taxes Increased 23.55%

For years under non-partisan leadership, Sleepy Hollow saw responsible planning and modest tax changes.

That changed in April 2023. Since Mayor Rutyna took office, our village has been hit with an outrageous 23.55% property tax increase over just two years.

Mayor Rutyna and his allies have tried to justify these massive hikes by claiming the Village's debt is excessive. This ignores the reality of our finances: revenues have been higher than predicted, expenses have been lower, and our village’s savings are strong.

Let it be known: Unite Sleepy Hollow trustees, Jim Husselbee and Tom Andruss,
offered reasonable alternatives and voted AGAINST these irresponsible tax
increases.

Here are the facts.

The First Tax Hike (14.85%): Based on Flawed Information

The administration imposed a staggering 14.85% tax increase for the 2025 fiscal year. They did this based on a gloomy financial forecast they created. But because the Mayor fired the Village Treasurer, a position that went unfilled for months, the official audit was delayed. When the audit was finally released on March 7, 2025, it revealed a completely different story:

The Village’s finances for 2024 were $2.09 million better than the Mayor’s estimate, with higher revenues and lower expenses.
The Village’s unassigned fund balance was actually $6.61 million, much higher than Mayor Rutyna's $4.92 million forecast.

The first massive tax increase was based on incorrect information that the administration was ignorant of.

The Second Tax Hike (7.58%): Ignoring the Reality

It gets worse. As the 2025 fiscal year went on, it became clear the Village was spending far less than planned. With about 78% of the year over, only 64.4% of the budget had been spent. At that rate, the Village was on track to spend almost $3 million LESS than budgeted.

The 14.85% tax hike had already raised an extra $1.7 million from residents. Mayor Rutyna, and his trustees massively raised your taxes but did not spend the money.

Yet, ignoring this fiscal reality, they pushed through another 7.58% tax increase for the 2026 fiscal year.

The Unite Sleepy Hollow Plan: A Return to Common Sense

Unite Sleepy Hollow believes the 23.55% tax increase over the past two years was not warranted. Unlike our opponents, we are not waiting to be elected to do the math. We've already done it, and have a plan to fix this.

Roll Back Taxes: Our financial analysis shows we can roll back a portion of these recent tax increases, providing immediate relief to residents.
Use New Revenue Wisely: With new funds from Edge-on-Hudson residents and a $4.6 million payment from GM, we can fund village services without massive tax hikes.
Improve Village Services: We will continue to invest in our infrastructure, improve park and street cleanliness, and provide the high-quality services residents expect.
Create a Long-Term Vision: We will foster business development and improve revenues from community events like Halloween to build a sustainable financial future for our village.

It’s time to end the fiscal mismanagement and restore responsible leadership to Village Hall.

Please make your voice heard and vote for the Unite Sleepy Hollow ticket of Jim Husselbee for Mayor, and Tom Andruss, Carol Banino, and Jim Garvey for Trustees on November 4th.