Scarsdale Forum to Discuss Tax Revaluation
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The Scarsdale Forum (TVCCEF) cordially invites the public, free of charge, to its membership meeting on Thursday, November 18 in the Scott Room of the Scarsdale Library at 8 p.m. A welcome reception will begin at 7:30 p.m. Specials guests that evening will include members of the Scarsdale business and real estate community.
In response to a village-wide revaluation under consideration by the Village Board of Trustees, the Assessment Revaluation Committee of the Scarsdale Forum presents:
“The Pros and Cons of Village-wide Assessment Revaluation”, a panel discussion moderated by Robert Berg. Panelists include John Wolham, Director of the Southern Region of the New York Office of Real Property Tax Services; Mary Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville who is undertaking her third town-wide revaluation since 2007; Steve Altieri, the Town Administrator of Mamaroneck who is coordinating the town’s first revaluation in decades and Alfred Gatta, Village Manager of Scarsdale, who is also chair of a county-wide committee of assessors studying the issue.
The Scarsdale Forum is a 106 year old civic club dedicated to improving life in Scarsdale. The Forum studies issues before the Village and County governing boards and provides input to them via reports and recommendations. Scarsdale residents are encouraged to join and participate in the process.
For more information, visit www.ScarsdaleForum.com , call 914-723-2829 or e-mail office@scarsdaleforum.com .
State Senate Candidates Pick Up Key Endorsements
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If you’ve been watching your mailbox, or answering your phone, you already know that we’re living through one of the most hotly contested races in the state. Scarsdale resident Bob Cohen is challenging Mamaroneck’s Suzi Oppenheimer for the seat in NYS Senate she has held for 26 years. With only three days to go before the November 2nd election, the focus is on the candidates.
Today, Cohen’s campaign got a huge boost when he was endorsed by The New York Times. Given the paper’s liberal leanings this is a real coup for a registered Republican. Here is what they said…
“The Republican candidate, Bob Cohen, dares to name United States Senator Jacob Javits - a voice of thoughtful moderation - as his hero. He is challenging Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, a Democrat, who has held the seat for 26 years. A real estate executive and political newcomer, Mr. Cohen has promised to focus on straightening out the mess of a state budget. He wants to cap state spending with adjustments for inflation, set long-term targets for Medicaid and schools, and eliminate "all V.I.P. tax credits to politically connected insiders." Mr. Cohen says he wants to work with both sides of the aisle, a revolutionary idea, especially in this polarized year. Senator Oppenheimer is a person of integrity, but she has too little to show for her years in Albany.”
On Thursday October 26, Cohen also picked up the endorsement of Mayor Bloomberg of New York. He said, ““Albany is broken and it has been for too long,” It's time for a change. Bob Cohen is a businessman, not a career politician, and he is running to bring fiscal order to Albany. I’m an independent and I support candidates for office from both parties who I think are best for New York State. That’s why I’m strongly supporting Bob Cohen for State Senate in Westchester.”
Incumbent Suzi Oppenheimer picked up here share of key endorsements as well. US Senator Chuck Schumer is backing her, saying, citing her ability to break through the Albany gridlock and her leadership on education reforms that will better prepare New York students for the challenges of the 21st century.
According to Schumer, “Suzi Oppenheimer has been a knowledgeable and determined advocate for New York, especially on issues of importance to Westchester such as education, flood control, and lowering burdensome property taxes. We have worked together to protect the citizens of Westchester County. “
On October 21st, gubernatorial likely Andrew Cuomo, endorsed Oppenheimer, saying “Senator Oppenheimer has established a stellar record of accomplishment as a true public servant. This year she played a key role in passing the Education Reform Law, which she sponsored and helped negotiate. Because of her proven ability to build coalitions and get results, I need Suzi as a partner in making government more effective. I enthusiastically endorse her re-election. Oppenheimer joined Cuomo on the campaign trail and returned the favor saying, “New York needs the leadership that Andrew Cuomo will bring to address the serious challenges facing our state.”
With signs at every intersection, overstuffed mailboxes and non-stop phone calls, local residents are keenly aware of the race. We’ll let you know what happens on Tuesday --as soon as we know.
Where and How To Vote Tuesday November 2
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Scarsdale Village has sent out the following information on voting times and places for the general election next Tuesday, November 2nd. For those who cannot vote in town on Tuesday, also find instructions on how to obtain an absentee ballot.
A reminder to Scarsdale residents that the general election will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Hours of the election are 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. All polling locations will be open as follows:
Location of Election Districts:
- 1 and 2 Greenacres School
- 3 and 4 Fox Meadow School
- 5, 11 and 12 Scarsdale Library
- 6 and 7 Village Hall
- 8, 9 and 10 Edgewood School
- 13, 14 and 18 Heathcote School
- 15 and 16 Quaker Ridge School
- 17 Crossway Fire House
For registered voters who will be out of Westchester County on Election Day, an absentee ballot can still be obtained by applying for an absentee ballot by mail or in person at the Westchester County Board of Elections, 25 Quarropas Street, White Plains. The deadlines for absentee ballot applications and voting are as follows:
- Tuesday, October 26, 2010 – last day to postmark an application or letter of application by mail for an absentee ballot.
- Monday, Nov. 1, 2010 - last day to apply in person for a ballot
- Monday, Nov. 1, 2010 - last day to postmark a ballot if returning by mail
- Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010 - last day to deliver a ballot in person to the board of elections
- Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010 - last day a ballot may be received by the board by mail
- Monday, Nov. 15, 2010 - last day a military ballot may be received by the board
To look up a polling location by residence, or to find additional information on the General Election and voting, residents may visit the Westchester County Board of Election website at www.westchestergov.com/citizenparticipation_boe.htm , or call (914) 995-5700. Residents may also call the Scarsdale Town Clerk’s office at (914) 722-1175 for further details.
Halloween Window Painting Winners Announced
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The annual Halloween Window Painting Contest, sponsored by the Scarsdale Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department and co-sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, brought approximately 700 painters into the Village and surrounding areas.
The contest is a long standing tradition in the Village and has been going on for over 48 years. The Police Department, Department of Public Works , and members of the Chamber of Commerce and all pulled together to provide an opportunity for kids to have fun and show off their artistic talents. In addition, Hartsdale had their own painting event on Saturday October 23.
The Grand Prize in Scarsdale went to Claudia Laurie for her painting located at Rothman’s, at 1 Boniface Circle. Her painting is pictured on the right and below please find many more colorful Halloween windows paintings.
The Halloween Parade brought many younger children downtown to show off their costumes. Catch a few of them below and see the contest winners here:
Halloween Window Painting Contest Winners
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Claudia Laurie V - 2
GROUP I – 3RD GRADE
1ST Place: Isabella DeCastro I-11
2nd Place: Arielle Schulman I-19
3rd Place: Margaret Kantor I-28
Most Comical: Brandon Harnett I-37
Honorable Mention: Lynne Mahoney I-8
Rotem Sosna I-10
Peter Wenger I-16
Javin Edlitz I-24
Valentina Elenberg I-30
GROUP II – 4th GRADE
1st Place: Amanda Glik II-9
2nd Place: Kazuki Katoh II-36
3rd Place: Renata Pratt II-29
Most Comical Katia Jacovides II-15
Honorable Mention: Caroline Shuh II-5
Jocelyn Weiss II-10
Alex Mayer II-20
Milena Fava-Pastilha II-24
Sarah Bock II-25
Willow Paykin II-50
Sophie Ewing II-49
GROUP III – 5TH AND 6TH GRADES
1st Place: Katie Fehrenbaker III-3
2nd Place: Lena Proctor III-37
3rd Place: Isabella Bailey III-50
Most Comical Dermot Kantor III-7
Honorable Mention: Morgan Cochrane III-59
Maggie Donovan III-51
Annie Cohen III-14
GROUP IV - 7TH AND 8TH GRADES
1st Place: Michaela Dwyer IV-25
2nd Place Kathleen Kantor IV-18
3rd Place Leah Kashar IV-16
Most Comical Kaitlyn Doyle IV-6
Honorable Mention: Caroline Huh IV-3
Daniel Gliedman IV-5
Alyssa Josselsohn IV-12
Maggie O’Keefe IV-23
Chloe Stoddard IV-26
GROUP V – 9th AND 10TH GRADES
1st Place: Arielle Trenk V-1
2nd Place Shannon Kelly V-3
GROUP VI – TEAM ENTRY – 3RD GRADE
1st Place: Caroline Greenhouse and Nicole Gibson VI-4
2nd Place: Mark Ifrah and Ford Lechner VI-18
3rd Place: Scott Galbreath and Jeremy Schmelkin VI-3
Most Comical Angela Ferrigno and Bridget Dibbini VI-26
Honorable Mention: Andy Morin and Jack Greenspan VI-7
Jennifer Farfel and Kayla Sung VI-10
Annie Radin and Hope Walker V1-19
Mollie Grand and Sophie Grand V1-22
GROUP VII – TEAM ENTRY – 4TH GRADE
1st Place: Katie Karp and Emma Schuartz VII-3
2nd Place: Caroline Goldstein and Sanjana Bhatnager VII-28
3rd Place: Lilly Batt and Rachel Annex VII-8
Most Comical Arin Hendell and Karly Kessler VII-7
Honorable Mention: Kelli Rainer and Lena Glickman VII-4
Adina Mistry and Anika Agarwal VII-22
Margo Boxer and Maisie Suzman VII-29
Alessandra Sinibaldi and Isabella Jackson VII-32
GROUP VIII – TEAM ENTRY – 5TH AND 6TH GRADES
1st Place: Sophie Cammarata and Theresa Alarcon VIII-31
2nd Place: Anna Spin and Laura Morse VIII-2
3rd Place: Kimberly Ellis and Zoe Millman VIII-26
Most Comical Rachel Gee and Courtney DeLong VIII-37
Honorable Mention: Carly Binday and Ilana Tamir VIII-15
Abigail Rosenstein and Ariel Stonberg VIII-21
Mao Okusawa and Yumi Arima VIII-34
Jenna Marcus and Kallen Cohane VIII-29
Katie Bowen and Maddy Song VIII-19
Sophie Greenhouse and Caroline Gerla VIII-3
Maya Kulick and Alexandra Fogel VIII-55
Sascha Eckersly and Chiaki Katoh VIII-41
GROUP IX – TEAM ENTRY – 7TH AND 8TH GRADES
1ST Place: Alice Kinsley and Alexa Binday IX-20
2nd Place: Syd Bernstein and Gillian Lubin IX-5
3rd Place: Allison Shein and Emily Natbony IX-10
Most Comical Elizabeth Jacobs and Remy Weisbrot IX-25
Honarable Mention: Cara Blumstein IX-2
Abigail Haber and Rachel Haber IX- 14
Genna Shuster and Sarah Bowen IX-11
GROUP X – TEAM ENTRY – 9TH AND 10TH GRADES
1ST Place: Carina Spiro and Anna Dursztman X-2
2nd Place: Christine Rooney and Emma Whitestone X-7
3rd Place: Emily Yankowitz and Kathryn Evans X-1
Most Comical Madeline Satin and Emily Shapiro X-4
Is the State Putting An Unfair Burden on Local Governments?
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As Westchester County residents pay the highest county taxes in the country, the subject of tax relief is high on everyone’s list this election year. County Executive Robert Astorino says “stopping the tax madness is his number one priority.” But the issue is not only one of county taxes. With the New York State budget severely strapped, the state has passed down many expenses to local municipalities, putting pressure on local government to raise taxes to close the gap.
Some have called for a cap on local property taxes, however, capping taxes is more easily said than done. Scarsdale Mayor Stevens addressed the issue at a meeting of the Westchester County Municipal Official Association on October 14 and explained why a tax cap would make it difficult for local governments to meet their obligations.
In her words:” I believe that tax caps are not fundamentally sound fiscal policy. These caps restrict the amount that property tax revenue can increase from year to year to a low fixed percentage, a formula based on the inflation rate, or some combination of the two.
While such caps may hold down property taxes, they are likely to impair local governments’ ability to provide education, public safety, and other services residents demand and need. They also are likely to make the local revenue system more regressive.
Property tax caps do nothing to change the main drivers behind higher property taxes. They cannot slow the increase in the cost of pension, health care, or fuel, or for that matter the costs of state mandated programs, which are forces outside of the control of local officials. Nor do they change the demand for local public services, such as quality K-12 education, public safety, and good roads. Academic studies have found that in most cases, property tax limits have led not to a shrinkage in the public sector but instead to a shift to other revenue sources, such as state aid and fees and other taxes which are often more regressive. In places where the caps have had an effect, however, the outcome has been negative.
Further I would suggest that property taxes should only pay for property related costs – such as public safety, roads, sanitation, education, etc. and not for society functions such as Medicaid and pensions for public servants and other similar programs that the state has mandated to the county and local governments. We local governments would not need to raise our taxes as much were it not for the shifting of these programs to county and local governments. I suggest that if the state wants to provide property tax relief it look to reducing mandates to the local governments and face its responsibilities instead of passing the buck.”
The subject is one that is being hotly debated. Candidate Robert Cohen who is running for NYS Senate has come out in favor of a statewide cap on local property taxes and sent the following comment to the site:
"Of course we do need to get rid of state mandated expenses imposed on local governments, but New Yorkers are hurting, and we need to start with long-term property tax relief, now. We need to make a credible commitment that we will bring our property tax burden down to a more reasonable level, and hopefully stop the exodus of residents leaving our state. Then we can continue to work on the complex process of unwinding our decades-old unfunded mandate regime."
His opponent Suzi Oppenheimer favors reducing state mandates on local governments to decrease the burden on the municipalities and here is what she has to say:
"Mandate relief is a major part of my program to help cut costs and reduce property taxes. As Education Committee Chair, I have focused on mandate relief, shared services, and cutting red tape for school districts. One of my mandate relief bills was signed into law this year. I have blocked any new unfunded mandates from being reported out of the committee and am working with the State Education Department to have it reduce existing mandates under its authority. I also have other cost cutting mandate proposals that the Assembly has not yet embraced but that did pass the Senate this year. Continued progress on mandate relief is a major priority of mine for the next session.
This year I sponsored a new law that allows taxpayers to get their local tax receipts by e-mail in order to save costs for local governments.
Other changes we adopted help municipalities and counties, such as the new pension tier, which we passed in 2009 and requires increased employee contribution, and the Medicaid Cap program, which limits what counties have to pay towards Medicaid. To reduce property taxes, I also strongly support the state taking over the county’s share of Medicaid, restoration of the STAR rebate program, and enhancement of the STAR exemption program."
Whether the state, county or the local government foot the bill, ultimately costs are passed through to the taxpayer. If you think you are paying too much in taxes, what do you think can be done to stop the blame game between local, county and state officials, and more importantly, how can we reduce overall expenses?
Post your comments below:
