Support our Sponsors
Donate to The Hudson Independent
Community News
Government & Politics
Irvington News

Greenburgh Town Council Rejects Homestead Act Following Property Reassessment

• Bookmarks: 84


March 2, 2016

by Robert Kimmel

Condominium owners across the Town of Greenburgh, the villages of Irvington and Tarrytown included, had much to be relieved about following a work session by the Town Council in late February. The Council members rejected enacting the Homestead Act following Greenburgh’s recently completed property reassessment. Had the town voted to approve the Act, it could have meant steep property tax increases for most condominium owners.

Town Supervisor Paul Feiner had indicated earlier that he would have been “very surprised” if the Council members opted for the Homestead Act, which would have heavily altered the percentage of the town’s tax burden in aggregate paid by condo owners. The Homestead Act is designed to prevent a major shift of the property tax to the residential class of properties following a reassessment.

Support our Sponsors
La Catena Restaurant - Ardsley, New York

Condominiums will remain in a commercial tax category, whereby owners are assessed on the basis of the rental value of the complex rather than the market value of their property as a single-family home. Town Assessor Edye McCarthy informed the Council members there were approximately 5,000 condo properties in the town, and that 4,200 of them would have been re-classified. The Homestead Act would also have affected Co-op properties, placing them in another category.

All town property owners will begin to receive letters this month specifying their new, full market assessment value, and projected taxes, as well as their 2015 assessment and taxes for comparison. McCarthy pointed out property owners will have up to about six weeks to contact the company that performed the property reassessment, Tyler Technologies, to ask for a review of the assessment value. By June, Feiner noted owners would have to file formal grievances or certioraris to change their tax assessment.

McCarthy and Feiner met with many condo owner groups during the weeks prior to the work session to listen to their concerns, and in Feiner’s words, “to calm down residents.” Feiner noted he had received upwards of 300 messages from concerned condo owners. Condo owners pressed the point in letters and emails that they paid for lighting, road work, snow removal and refuse collection within their buildings or complexes, thus saving money for their municipalities.

Councilman Francis Sheehan informed The Hudson Independent that he had received, in the last month, “ …hundreds of letters and emails, regarding Homestead, all opposed to its adoption.”

At the work session, Council members were shown analysis charts displaying the percentage of changes in the tax burden different categories of tax payers would have in aggregate, if Homestead were enacted. Sheehan noted that, “Had the recently completed Tax Shift Analysis shown the reassessment produced a dramatic shift in the tax burden to residential property owners, as was expected, the decision would have been very difficult knowing there was so much opposition to Homestead.”

Sheehan stated that, “In reality, the decision was relatively easy because the tax shift to residential properties was less significant than anyone had initially predicted. Based on the analysis, it did not make sense to adopt Homestead, which would have provided a very modest aggregate decrease in the taxable value of residential class properties, (61.7% to 61.4%), while producing a 30% increase in the proportionate share of the aggregate tax burden (9.6% to 12.5%), for condominiums. The adoption of Homestead would definitely have had a dramatic impact on condominiums. For example, three percent of condominium owners will pay greater than $1,000 more in property taxes without Homestead. Had the Town Board adopted Homestead, that number would have increased to 61% of condominium owners, 15% of which would have paid greater than $5,000 more in property taxes, Sheehan related.
He explained that, “I, along with the other Town Board members, Supervisor Feiner and Councilmembers Diana Juettner, Kevin Morgan and Ken Jones, in consultation with Town Assessor Edye McCarthy and other professionals, unanimously concluded Homestead was not warranted. The data simply did not support Homestead.”

McCarthy told the Council members that the reassessment is expected to reduce considerably the annual number of grievances or certioraris the town faces requesting lower assessments on properties, along with ensuing tax cuts. She said the town pays owners $10 million in these tax refunds annually, and that the reassessment property valuations “…picked up approximately $1.3 billion dollars we did not have before the reassessment…a tremendous increase.” As for village taxes alone, Irvington follows assessment values and legislation set by the town, while Tarrytown’s Trustees would have had to vote on the Homestead measure.

Read or leave a comment on this story...


Support our Sponsors
  • Andrea Martone Westchester real estate agent - Tarrytown listing
  • La Catena Restaurant - Ardsley, New York
  • Piccola Trattoria open for brunch - Dobbs Ferry

Hundreds Have a Blast Enjoying Independence Day

Residents in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow had a blast Friday at the village’s annual fireworks extravaganza at Pierson Park. Food...
Read More

Sleepy Hollow Resident Relishes Horse Stable

By Tom Pedulla--- Sleepy Hollow resident Larry Doyle was in the right place at the right time when he ventured...
Read More

Shining A Light On Asian Americans’ Influence On American History

By Jeff Wilson-- Watching a PowerPoint, “Hidden Voices: Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the United States,” a new component...
Read More

Fire Officials Oppose Battery Energy Storage System in Tarrytown

By Rick Pezzullo--- Local fire officials are continuing to throw cold water on a proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)...
Read More

Residents Warned About Bear Roaming Around Tarrytown

By Rick Pezzullo--- When it comes to the bare necessities about being aware of your surroundings, residents in Tarrytown are...
Read More

Eremition

EREMITION: I'm sitting this presidency out By Krista Madsen Call it an existential crisis, or, in the vernacular of our times, a...
Read More

At Sleepy Hollow’s New DeCicco & Sons, Tally Makes Sure The Shelves Are Stocked

By Barrett Seaman— Tall and erect with a soft burgundy screen explaining that her role is to "check shelf inventory,"...
Read More

Sleepy Hollow High School Class of 2025 Graduates

The Sleepy Hollow High School Class of 2025 received its diplomas last week on the football field. The following is...
Read More

Drake to be Next Hastings Mayor after Winning Primary

By Rick Pezzullo--- Hastings-on-Hudson Trustee Tom Drake will be the village’s next mayor after defeating fellow Trustee Morgen Fleisig in...
Read More

Hastings-on-Hudson High Class of 2025 Graduates

The Class of 2025 at Hastings-on-Hudson High School received its diplomas last week. The following is a complete list of...
Read More
84 recommended
1663 views
bookmark icon