TOWN OF WALLKILL – Supervisor Frank DenDanto could be forced to raise property taxes by a whopping 64 percent in the Town of Wallkill next year due to what he asserts was financial mismanagement by the previous administration.
DenDanto reached that conclusion this week after completing the town’s preliminary budget, which reaffirmed the financial challenges confronting Wallkill. In January, the town identified significant financial shortfalls due to longstanding irregularities in the municipality’s fiscal structure.
“Here is the issue: The Town inflated its revenue year after year starting in 2022,” DenDanto, a Democrat, said. “They operated with a $43 million budget when it was really $54 million. That is public information. It is not up for debate. The State Comptroller’s office discovered that during its financial audit. It is ridiculous. You can’t make this stuff up.”
DenDanto lost the 2019 supervisor election to Republican George Serrano, who decided not to run last year. DenDanto ran again in 2025 and beat Republican Ralph Carr. Serrano did not immediately return a message seeking comment for this story.
According to DenDanto, Wallkill’s financial issues could reach a boiling point next week when he releases the findings of an independent auditor hired by the Town to review budgeting practices during Serrano’s time in office.
“The Comptroller’s Office has already stated that the town’s budgeting process is completely broken,” DenDanto said. “If Attorney General Letitia James doesn’t look into it, it speaks volumes about the state. When you hear the specifics, your jaw will drop.”
The proposed 64 percent increase is preliminary; DenDanto said he still has to review the town’s tax levy and the proposed 2027 budget with the Town Board. However, he doesn’t seem optimistic about a rate decrease in next year’s $54.6 million budget. Wallkill’s budget was $52.4 million last year, when it drained its remaining $2 million in fund balance.
The Town of Wallkill is awaiting $4 million in state funding secured by Senator James Skoufis (D, Orange County) and Assemblywoman Paula Elaine Kay (D-Rock Hill) in June to avert significant service cuts, job losses, and property tax hikes. DenDanto said that if the funding doesn’t arrive by the end of November, the town won’t be able to make payroll.
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