Walter in ‘State of Town’ to call for elimination of elected tax receiver, assessor positions, predicts ‘uproar’

Supervisor Sean Walter is calling for the elimination of the elected positions of tax receiver and assessors in his 2015 State of the Town address, which he is scheduled to deliver this evening to a joint meeting of the Riverhead Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions clubs. (See story, read text of speech).

Walter says he will ask the town board to adopt local laws merging the tax receiver’s post into the town clerk’s office and eliminating the board of assessors — creating instead appointed assessor and deputy assessor positions.

The measures will save the town $150,000 per year, Walter says.

Walter is also calling for the town and state to combine the Riverhead Highway Department, the Municipal Garage, the Buildings and Grounds Division and the New York State Department of Transportation yard located on Route 58 into a single facility built at EPCAL. That move will save the town another $150,000 per year, he said.

“I will be reaching out to Governor Cuomo and our other elected state representatives to work through a proposal that will combine all of those facilities into one facility located at EPCAL,” the supervisor says in the speech, an advance copy of which was obtained by RiverheadLOCAL this afternoon.

His proposal for the tax receiver and assessor positions will “be met with an uproar,” Walter predicts.

“Government and some elected officials tend to serve itself and themselves,” he says. “Government doesn’t always serve the people. Change is hard. I am not afraid of the challenge.

“We can do this consolidation and not one taxpayer will be impacted. Not one taxpayer will see any change. We can create efficiencies that will save the town $150,000 per year, each and every year.”
Check back for complete coverage of the supervisor’s speech, including video.