Tyler Technologies Provides Update on Real Estate Tax Revaluation
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Representatives from Tyler Technologies updated the Scarsdale Village Board and residents on their progress on the reassessment process at a January 16 meeting. Having completed the first residential property inspections, Tyler Technologies will soon be sending "data mailers" to each homeowner. The detailed "property description reports" will include information that the inspectors gathered in their visits related to both the exterior and interior of each residence in addition to measures such as square footage of living space, quality of maintenance, and extent of cooling and heating systems throughout the home.
Much of the outcome of this process depends on residents reading and responding to these mailers. Residents are urged to take a few moments to look them over. If the information seems accurate, residents need only to maintain the document for their personal records. However, if homeowners would like to correct perceived inaccuracies, gather more information about the process, or request an additional (or first) inspection they must reply to the mailer by February 4. Without a response, the firm will assume that homeowners are satisfied with the accuracy of the report. Edgewood residents will be the first to receive such mailers. Next will be Fox Meadow, Heathcote, Quaker Ridge, and finally Greenacres. There is still time to schedule interior visits.
While the associates at Tyler Technologies will try to satisfy such requests, homeowners must reply by February 4 to receive any remedies. Also, if a calculation of number of bathrooms or living square footage seems inaccurate, Eric Hardy from Tyler says that the numbers may appear to be incorrect because they are reported in a different form than typical realtors' estimations. The data collectors follow a statewide protocol, which is available on their website and on the Internet. Residents should contact the firm if the values differ by a significant factor. They will be happy to come back or set up one-on-one meetings with homeowners to assure fairness and accuracy.
Hardy explained that the process "is going very well" and overall people have been satisfied with the professionalism and performance of the data collectors, all of whom carry identification cards and are registered with the Scarsdale Police Department. There are still many homes that need to be visited and it is in the homeowner's interest to allow the data collectors inside the home so they can accurately gauge the interior of the home. Otherwise, they may assume things about the home that add value – for instance, a finished basement – but are not actually present in the home.
Given the intense budget pressures consuming national politics and increasing tax rates in Scarsdale (see http://scarsdale10583.com/201212302942/village-voices/county-taxes-to-increase-6.33-for-scarsdale-residents.html), the idea of tax revaluation may be unwelcome to many residents. However, this process is long overdue in Scarsdale. While Scarsdale has not revalued homes since 1969 (see http://scarsdale10583.com/201207052567/village-voices/tax-reassessment-in-process-what-it-will-mean-for-you.html), some municipalities require revaluation every few years because the real estate market can fluctuate dramatically in a short amount of time and most homeowners tend to add value to their homes. In fact, revaluing is so common that major news networks and media sources have issued advice on the matter and list it as an effective way for people to ensure they are paying their fair share of taxes.
Generally, after the revaluation a third of the homes increase in value, a third decrease and a third remain approximately the same. Residents also need to be aware that appealing their assessment does not mean they are appealing their tax rate, only the basis upon which they will be taxed. All data collection is scheduled to be finished by May. The new assessments resulting from this revaluation will be implemented on June 1, 2014, which will first impact taxes on April 1, 2015. Before this, however, residents will be able to see the data collected from all homes in Scarsdale online and in paper at several locations throughout the Village. Mr. Hardy would caution residents not to take comparisons between homes as a deciding factor of fairness. "No two houses are exactly alike," he said, which can result in differing property assessments.
For residents, the most important thing will be to read over the "property description report" and respond to it accordingly. Remember, a non-response to this mailer signifies satisfaction with the results.
This article was contributed by Sarah Benowich. Now a senior at Cornell University, Benowich was a former editor of the Maroon in Scarsdale.
Republican Lawmakers Call for the Journal News to take down the Gun Map
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Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino has made a formal request to the publisher of the Journal News, Janet Hasson, that she take down the interactive map on the newspaper's website that identifies those who have gun licenses and also lists their home addresses.
In his letter he says, "The Journal News has the right to request the information from the Westchester County Clerk's Office under the Freedom of Information Act.... But simply because the right to do something exists does not necessarily make it right to do."
In his letter Astorino states that the map "demonized individuals who did nothing wrong, violated their privacy and potentially put them and their families -- especially victims of domestic violence and current and former judges and law enforcement officials --in harm's way."
He ends by saying, " for the safety and welfare of our citizenry, I implore you once again to delete the information from your website. Taking down the map would be in the public's interest, which your newspaper is in the business to serve. "
On Monday, State Senator Greg Ball, a Republican from Putnam County claimed that a burglary on Davis Avenue in White Plains could be tied back to the publication of the interactive map in the Journal News.
In Balls view, "The Journal News has placed the lives of these folks at risk by creating a virtual shopping list for criminals and nut jobs. If the connection is proven, this is further proof that these maps are not only an invasion of privacy but that they present a clear and present danger to law-abiding, private citizens. Former convicts have already testified to the usefulness of the asinine Journal News 'gun maps' yet the reckless editors are evidently willing to roll the dice, gambling with the lives of innocent local homeowners."
Ball is introducing legislation to protect the privacy rights of citizens and to protect "lawful" gun owners. According to Ball, "The same elitist eggheads who use their editorial page to coddle terrorists and criminals are now treating law abiding citizens like level three sexual predators."
In Favor of Game On 365
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Dear Scarsdale10583: I am writing as a 30 year Greenburgh resident who operates a business and has raised his family at our home on Wayside Drive, just off of Dobbs Ferry Road. My business partner and I currently own and operate the Westchester Golf Range, a facility that a large number of Greenburgh residents have enjoyed for over 60 years.
The Golf Range sits adjacent to 715 Dobbs Ferry Road, the site currently being considered for The Westchester Field House, a year-round, indoor sports facility. Like so many Greenburgh residents, I have watched the old Franks Nursery site languish for years and become a tax burden. As a neighbor, I have closely followed the development of this proposal, and after nearly two years of public deliberation I have come to strongly support it. After many public meetings, an open RFP, and a town-wide referendum overwhelmingly supported by two thirds of residents, it is clear that The Westchester Field House has the support of this community as well.
The project is a good fit for the immediate neighborhood and will maintain the recreational landscape along Dobbs Ferry Road. The proposed facility will complement Rumbrook Park, the Westchester Golf Range, Elmwood Country Club and Elmwood Day Camp, all of which help improve the quality of life for Greenburgh residents. Considering the alternatives, I cannot imagine a business better suited for that location.
Bringing The Westchester Field House to Greenburgh will also be good for local business, including the Golf Range. In a difficult economy, local businesses can finally look forward to a new, complementary business coming to our neighborhood. While most residents and business owners want to see real progress for Greenburgh, a handful of others have filed a lawsuit to stop this project for their own self-interests.
I am happy to see that the Town is looking to move this project forward and avoid expensive litigation and delays by planning to sell the Frank's Nursery site to Game On 365. The opposition, spearheaded by another local sports facility, motivated by commercial self-interest, will likely advocate to start the process over, with a new RFP for the site, or an open bidding process for the land. Either avenue will create unnecessary delays and result in the property remaining vacant for years to come. It would also raise uncertainty as to the type of development that may come to the neighborhood.
There is a public meeting at the Greenburgh Town Hall this Wednesday, January 9th, at 7:30pm, to discuss the Town's proposed action of selling 715 Dobbs Ferry Rd to Game On 365. I encourage all Greenburgh residents to support this action to help move this project forward.
As a resident, taxpayer, business owner and sports enthusiast, I encourage you to support this project and finally bring real progress to Greenburgh.
Steve Quagliano
Letter to the Editor: Suspend Gun Permits for DWI's
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This letter was submitted by Harry Reynolds of Bradley Road: Assuming that everyone is playing with a full deck, the disclosure upon an application for a gun permit that the applicant has been known to drink alcohol excessively warrants a denial of the application. From this it must follow that upon the lawful arrest of the holder of a gun permit for driving while intoxicated, the evidence supporting the arrest is a sufficient predicate for the temporary suspension of the permit.
A statute providing for such a suspension, whether compelled or left to the discretion of the court, diminishes the risk of death or injury by defendant's use of his gun, a defendant indeed who ordinarily is unknown to the court and whose conduct, insofar as it is known to the court, suggests that the defendant may be troubled and may have an impaired judgment. Further, delay will infuse itself into the action. The consequences of a finding of guilt are substantial and rare is the defendant who yearns for a speedy disposition. His attorney will inquire into every factual and legal test available to the defendant. In short, unless there is a suspension and a handing over of the gun to the police, the risk attending defendant's continued possession of his gun is exacerbated by the inevitable delay.
Would our legislators consider a bill providing for the suspension of a gun permit during the pendency of an action for driving while intoxicated?
Harry Reynolds
Bradley Road
County Taxes to Increase 6.33% for Scarsdale Residents
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The Westchester County Tax Commission released its estimate of the effect that Westchester's 2013 budget will have on individual municipalities on 12/20/12. For the third year in a row the overall county property tax levy has not increased and remains at $548 million, identical to 2012 and 2011. However, because communities assess properties at different levels of full value and property values don't go up and down uniformly from community to community, the amount owed by each municipality to the county changes from year to year. A state equalization rate is applied to each municipality so that the tax can be fairly apportioned.
The result is that 15 communities will see their portion of county taxes go down and 10 will see them go up. Scarsdale's increase is among the highest in the county, rising 6.33%, second only to the City of Rye, where taxes will go up 7.46%. Increases here are offset by decreases ranging from 7.67% in Mount Vernon to 0.45 percent in New Castle.
According to County Executive Rob Astorino, "The county has done its job to hold the line on our county property tax,"... "However, every year the county tax levy affects local governments differently."
County property taxes account for about 15 to 20 percent of a property owner's tax bill. School taxes account for about 60 percent and village government taxes for the remaining 20 percent. Therefore, to estimate how much your county taxes will go up in 2013, take 20% of your real estate tax bill, and increase that by 6.33%.
Here's the estimated percentage change in tax levy by municipality for 2013:
City of Mount Vernon (7.67)
City of New Rochelle (2.53)
City of Peekskill (2.63)
City of Rye 7.46
City of White Plains (6.07)
City of Yonkers (3.19)
Town of Bedford 2.51
Town of Cortlandt 1.60
Town of Eastchester (0.98)
Town of Greenburgh 2.10
Town of Harrison 5.73
Town of Lewisboro (5.56)
Town of Mamaroneck 5.16
Town of Mount Kisco (1.54)
Town of Mount Pleasant 1.22
Town of New Castle (0.45)
Town of North Castle 3.25
Town of North Salem 0.90
Town of Ossining (5.00)
Town of Pelham (2.52)
Town of Pound Ridge 0.83
Town of Rye (3.74)
Town of Scarsdale 6.33
Town of Somers (3.18)
Town of Yorktown (2.17)
