News flash:  The New York State Comptroller’s office released its financial stress scores for New York’s municipalities for fiscal 2025.  The Village of Pelham had the worst score of any village in Westchester, and the second worst of all Westchester municipalities.  (Mount Vernon failed to file the necessary information.)  Only Yonkers had a worse score; Pelham’s is worse than Peekskill, the third worst municipality.

Pelham’s score jumped from 3.3 in fiscal 2024 to 19.2 this year – about twice as high as Tuckahoe and Mamaroneck, and substantially higher than New Rochelle.  (The lower the score, the greater the fiscal soundness.)  Ardsley, Bronxville, Irvington, Larchmont, and Pelham Manor all score from 1.7 to 3.3.

Based on their recent argument in the Examiner about the increase in flood mitigation costs, Trustees Howell and Solomon may claim that the Village’s fiscal score “did not [get worse],” but that the Comptroller’s “understanding [of the Village’s finances] became more accurate.”  Such doublespeak cannot obscure reality.

The reason for the increase?  

Spending.  

The largest component of the Village of Pelham’s stress score is the ratio of its general fund (think money in the bank) to its annual expenditures (spending).  On this component, Mayor Mullen and his Village Board have spent Pelham into a peer group that includes Utica and Schenectady.  

Worse, the current Trustees’ approach to spending now includes increased spending in anticipation of unexpected revenue.  At its September 22 meeting, they approved (unanimously, per usual) the purchase of an Avant 640i loader – cost not disclosed, but models seem to retail for $60,000 to $80,000 – by making use of the so-called “Contingency” budget item.  This item, which has been at most $320,000 in budgets since 2019, is over $780,000 for 2026-2027.  

It is this exploding “Contingency” spending, along with increased debt service – including on almost $1 million in debt for Municipal Center furniture and window treatments, and over $300,000 to move a cellular antenna from the old firehouse to Pelham Green when Pelham Green gets the rental payments – that made the Village break the tax cap this year.

Deputy Mayor Carpenter observed in the meeting that, based on discussions with the Village Administrator, the Village “might” receive some unexpected revenue later this year, and this justifies breaking the “Contingency” piggy bank now.  What is the source and amount of this unexpected revenue?  We asked but were told the information was not releasable under FOIL.  

Regardless of how much unexpected revenue comes in, the Mayor and his rubber stamp Board are continuing – and exceeding – their historical spending patterns.  Spending in anticipation of unexpected revenue, moreover, is wholly inconsistent with “building up the Village’s reserves.”  (You may hear from Mayor Mullen and his Trustees that this is what they are doing with tax increases; don’t believe it.)  Given the Comptroller’s report, any unexpected revenue should be allocated to the general fund so Pelham may operate like more fiscally responsible peers; instead, those funds flew out the door before they ever came in.  

Paul Anzilotti

Arthur Long

Rhett Speros

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by Paul Anzilotti, Arthur Long and Rhett Speros, candidates for the Village of Pelham Board of Trustees.  The Pelham Examiner publishes press releases in the form received as a service to the community.