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Mayor Calls Hotel Bed Tax's Passage 'Wonderful News' For Harrison

HARRISON, N.Y. -- Harrison Mayor/Supervisor Ron Belmont, in his weekly column, said he is thrilled that Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that will allow the village to charge a hotel occupancy tax.

Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont hailed the passage of a hotel occupancy tax which, he said in his column, will give the town/village added revenues it can use to ease the property tax burden for residents.

Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont hailed the passage of a hotel occupancy tax which, he said in his column, will give the town/village added revenues it can use to ease the property tax burden for residents.

Photo Credit: File photo
Hyatt House off Westchester Avenue in West Harrison would be one of the hotel affected by the new occupancy tax law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month.

Hyatt House off Westchester Avenue in West Harrison would be one of the hotel affected by the new occupancy tax law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month.

Photo Credit: Google Maps screen shot
The Westchester Country Club off North Street is one of three places in Harrison that will be affected by the new occupancy tax signed last month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The Westchester Country Club off North Street is one of three places in Harrison that will be affected by the new occupancy tax signed last month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Photo Credit: Facebook
The Renaissance Westchester Hotel in Harrison will be one of the hotels affected by the new occupancy tax signed last month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The Renaissance Westchester Hotel in Harrison will be one of the hotels affected by the new occupancy tax signed last month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Photo Credit: Yelp

The move will, he said, specifically affect the Renaissance Westchester Hotel on West Red Oak Lane, the Hyatt House off Westchester Avenue, and the Westchester Country Club off North Street.

Calling it “wonderful news,” Belmont said the tax will give Harrison an alternative revenue source and its residents some property tax relief.

The money will not only allow Harrison to invest in its “tourism related infrastructure,” it will also offset the cost of increased traffic and public safety needs, Belmont wrote.

He thanked Assemblyman David Buchwald, D-White Plains, and Sen. George Latimer. D-Rye, for helping get the legislation passed.

In his column, Belmont wished residents a “happy and healthy New Year” and thanked them for their support.

The Town Board “has met some impressive goals,” the mayor/supervisor said, adding that he was looking forward to seeing what it can accomplish in 2017.

Among those successes, Belmont wrote, were “keeping tax increases under control, maintaining a healthy reserve and managing all of our basic municipal services.”

In addition to Harrison’s Triple-A bond rating from Moody’s, its 2017 budget was adopted and remains under Cuomo’s mandated tax cap, Belmont said.

“Continuing this positive trajectory is a priority. I am eager to meet new challenges and look forward to the opportunities ahead,” he added in his column.

In other community related items, Belmont told resident that Christmas trees can be placed by the curb for pick-up through Tuesday, Jan. 31.

The trees cannot be in plastic bags and no holiday wreaths or roping will be collected, he said.

Belmont also drew attention to programs at the Harrison Public Library, such as a cooking demonstration that celebrates the Lunar New Year.

Participants can learn how to make Chinese dumplings and “explore other prominent flavors and traditions of this joyful holiday celebrated by many Asian cultures around the world,” Belmont wrote.

The program will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26.

There will also be a Zentangle workshop held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, at the library.

Zentangle is a meditative drawing method and a calming way to start the New Year, Belmont wrote.

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