This past week, the Town Supervisor (herein "TS") posted on his blog (http://pfeiner.blogspot.com/2010/10/budget-message-2011.html ) to explain the new budget and accompanying tax increases. The bottom line is that for Hartsdale (and the Town "outside" as a whole), the budget is increasing 7.09%, but, through the magic of drawing on town reserves, our taxes town taxes will increase "only" 4.5%* [editor's note: do NOT bring up the fact that CPI-U for the past 12 months is 1.2%]. Assuming that all our other taxing entities will keep pace (we must always remember that town taxes are only a small portion of our total tax bill!), that means, for my typical Manor Woods home, my property bill will increase the customary $800. Of course Town taxes will be less than $200 of this amount, so I should not even bother to complain and just accept it with a wan smile. (In light of big certiorai claims losses impacting Central 7, however, I have to assume that the increase for the schools, the largest piece of our budget puzzle, will be even higher than 4.5% - but this is rank and baseless speculation on my part.)
[* Mamaroneck announced an increase of 2.2%, btw - http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201010220333; Yorktown announced 2% - http://yorktown.lohudblogs.com/ , so Greenburgh may still be #1!]
TS assigns the blame for these increases elsewhere: employee benefits/pensions and certiorai claims. In fact, TS asserts there would be no tax increase but for the temerity of unpatriotic taxpaying property owners (presumably business as well as residential) to whine that their taxes are too high and...for shame, to actually prevail in their claim for tax reductions against the town and.. get this, actually collect refunds! Public Enemy #1 singled out for public shaming are the Highpoint Apts (See http://pfeiner.blogspot.com/2010/10/should-town-reassess-properties-10.html ). [Note: the pejorative adjectives are my own, and not TS's]. TS of course does not address the validity of certiorai claims against the town, sending the message to the rest of us that (1) taxpayers should just accept the town's assessment of taxes on their property like meek lambs and pay up, and (2) it is selfish and damaging to the commonweal to seek a tax reduction (no matter how just) because that just dumps the burden for the budget on our neighbors. In his defense, TS is now frequently raising the idea of tax reassessment. This "testing of the winds" is furthered by an interview given by the Town Assessor to the Journal News this past week in support of reassessment. I may hazard to guess that TS and the Assessor would not now be suggesting reassessment if they felt it would actually lead to tax decreases for most homeowners. Instead, the goal is explicitly to forestall future certiorai claims. I also suspect that an unstated but desired benefit is that the reassessment will create a one-time freebie tax increase for the Board, without having to actually pass an increase on the record in the budget, when the reassessment takes effect increasing everyone's house values - but I may be completely wrong and have no idea what I'm talking about).
OK, we should blame our selfish neighbors and business owners who are costing us $5 million, but there are other miscreants: public sector employees! TS throws these individuals under a Bee-line bus, informing us: "pension costs have gone up by 36% for the Employee Retirement System (ERS) and 24% for the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS). (The Town has no control over these percentages.) This equates to a pension cost increase of $1.0 million. In addition, health care costs increased by 15%, which equates to an increase of $1.4 million." Notice the crucial parenthetical: "THE TOWN HAS NO CONTROL OVER THESE PERCENTAGES." This is the usual exonerating comment accompanying all announcements of tax increases by TS - "it's out of my control." Does this mean that TS never has control over ERS and PFRS, and these increases are mandated by the State? Perhaps, I just have no idea.
Is there room for cutting budget: of course there are! that is, if you are a heartless fiend who relishes eliminating town services for seniors and special needs children [Message received loud and clear: just shut up already, it's less $200 more dollars and if you dare to complain about your prop. taxes, you are a selfish, crudmudgeonly ogre!]
Is there any mention about the Town's $834,000 liability being paid out over 5 years arising from our workers comp insurance fiasco? Um, no. http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201010110327
Is there any mention of budget planning for the Fortress Bible federal judgement against the town (estimated penalties to be at least $4,000,000 and probably not coverable by insurance)? Um, no.
Don't ask such questions.. don't question your taxes (unless you are an uncaring narcissist), vote for TS, feel fortunate that you have the privilege of living in Hartsdale, and move along, there is nothing to see here.
No comments:
Post a Comment