Town boards, county legislature, zoning and budgets, reported from the agenda packets.
Special districts are mini-governments with their own budgets — and in Clarkstown, Ramapo, Haverstraw, and Orangetown they explain most of the small line items residents ask about.
New York's Freedom of Information Law gives residents a right to town, village, and county records — here's how the request actually moves once it's filed.
The state limits how fast the tax levy — not the tax rate, not your bill — can grow, and 60 percent of a board can vote around it.
Plowing, paving, salt and storm drains — inside the Orangetown highway department's budget, who runs it, and where the money comes from.