MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—State and local officials announced on June 8 that $4 million has been secured in the state budget to help the Town of Wallkill avert deep service cuts, job losses, and property tax hikes.
After significant financial shortfalls were identified in January, the town was on track to raise property taxes or face having to eliminate about 97 jobs, which included 70 percent of the police force, 70 percent of department of works employees, and 90 percent of the parks department, the officials said.
At a June 8 news conference, state Sen. James Skoufis and Assemblymember Paula Kay announced that they had each secured $2 million for Wallkill during the 2027 state budget negotiations.
The shortfalls resulted from longtime irregularities in the town’s fiscal structure and, without financial aid, Wallkill risked being reduced to providing a minimum level of service to its residents.
New Wallkill Supervisor Frank DenDanto said he was humbled at the amount of support received from the two state representatives and that they “saved the town from imminent disaster.”
DenDanto, who was sworn in on Jan. 1, said the state of the nation’s economy has hindered the town’s ability to sustain itself as well and that it was necessary for the state to intervene. The town had earlier projected having to lay off 42 people from the police department, 21 from public works, 21 general employees, nine from the parks department, and four from water and sewers.
“In the 14 years I’ve been in the state legislature ... I’ve never had to deal with a local issue quite like this,“ Skoufis said. ”Never had to deal with a multimillion-dollar budget crisis in a community that I represent.”
The senator said the town was on the verge of being a failed government, as it would not have been able to provide basic services to residents.
Kay said in a statement that when DenDanto approached her and Skoufis for help, they began to work on the bailout right away.
Wallkill is home to about 31,000 people over 62 square miles. DenDanto had previously served as supervisor from 2020 to 2021, before George Serrano was elected and held the job from January 2022 through December 2025.
“We have few opportunities to make money. And governing costs money, roads cost money, water costs money, police forces cost money,” DenDanto said. “When you reduce those taxes, you reduce our ability to provide those services.”
