How Suffern is run
Who runs Suffern, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Suffern's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Suffern
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Suffern city staff
65 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2024-25. Approximate full-time employees stated in the audited report. The village also employs about 41 part-time employees. Village of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
The budget's salary schedule lists budgeted pay for every position by title. We found no list of pay by employee name. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Suffern in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The 2026-2027 budget raises General Fund spending $1.17M (6.7%) to $18.5M and the property tax levy $716,601 (5.9%). The tax rate stays at $91.09 per $1,000 because taxable values rose. It uses $552,500 of fund balance, and the levy is $59,071 below the state tax cap. We found no multi-year forecast. Village of Suffern · Apr 28, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $14.9M (2025-05-31). The city's own target: The village aims to keep General Fund fund balance at no less than 20% of General Fund appropriations, and to use fund balance only for capital, emergency or one-time costs. Village of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Property taxes$12.8M · 69%
- Departmental income (incl. refuse district charges)$2.4M · 13%
- State and federal aid$1.1M · 6%
- Use of money and property$666,197 · 4%
- Fund balance used$552,500 · 3%
- Property tax items$478,569 · 3%
- Other (fines, permits, misc.)$547,000 · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Employee benefits$6.3M · 34%
- Public safety$5.7M · 31%
- General government$2.2M · 12%
- Transportation (streets)$1.8M · 10%
- Home and community services (refuse, planning)$1.7M · 9%
- Other (recreation, debt service, health)$790,047 · 4%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Suffern is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySuffern Police DepartmentVillage of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
- FireThe citySuffern Fire Department (volunteer)Volunteer firefighters; the village funds a service award program for them.Village of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
- Police dispatchThe citySuffern Police DepartmentVillage of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
- WaterThe cityVillage of Suffern water systemVillage of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
- SewerThe cityVillage of Suffern wastewater systemVillage of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
- Streets and sidewalksThe cityVillage Public WorksVillage of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityVillage Recreation Department; the Town of Ramapo adds moreVillage of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
- Building code enforcement and zoningThe cityVillage of SuffernVillage of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
- Social servicesThe countyRockland CountyVillage of Suffern · Feb 23, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | Mount KiscoNY | SuffernNY | New YorkNY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,757 | 11,796 | 8,584,629 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $181,551 | $122,004 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $8,000 | $15,914 | $175,500 |
| General fund per resident | $2,628 | $1,572 | $14,659 |
| Debt per resident | $4,670 | $1,319 | $13,214 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $281 | $527 | $3,153 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 5.5 | 35.8 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Mount Kisco pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Suffern publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online Village of Suffern · Apr 28, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineSuffern has no village manager. The Treasurer's pay is listed in the budget's salary schedule; we found no employment contract posted. Village of Suffern · Mar 20, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineBoard minutes record roll-call votes by name, including the April 27, 2026 budget votes. Village of Suffern · Apr 27, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online Village of Suffern · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget salary schedule lists the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and each Trustee's pay. Village of Suffern · Mar 20, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- General Fund unassigned reserves were $14.9M on May 31, 2025, while the FY2026-27 General Fund budget is $18.5M. Why does the budget still use $552,500 of fund balance?
- Retiree health benefits (OPEB) carry a $43.5M liability, far more than the $6.2M pension share. Does the village plan to set money aside for it?
- Employee benefits are $6.27M of the FY2026-27 General Fund budget, more than public safety. What is driving the increase?
- The audit for the year ended May 31, 2025 is dated February 23, 2026. Can future audits be finished sooner?
The fiscal year starts June 1. The Mayor presents a tentative budget by March 20 (March 20, 2026 this year), the Board holds a public hearing (April 6, 2026) and adopts the budget by May 1; the FY2026-27 budget was adopted April 27, 2026. See who is running for council
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