We should wish him luck moving out of Rotterdam. He could move to Hamilton hill, to perhaps a $50,000 run down house and pay $3,000+ in taxes.
Perhaps he would be happy to move to Clifton park where today’s story has a couple paying a $17,000+ property tax bill, I’m sure he’s very envious of them
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Wow, you really look at things differently....comparing living in Hamilton Hill to Rotterdam....A compatable house in Clifton Park would pay LESS in taxes....already looking...i guess your okay with the tax rate....good for you...
One clearly gets more bang for their taxed buck in Clifton Park, but don't kid yourself, taxes are definately higher than Rotterdam's and other townships. Traffic congestion has not kept up with the growth. I know several people who live in Clifton Park and yes they do like it, they complain of the traffic congestion. Some also share concerns regarding the school system as far as size. They feel that their kids 'get lost' in the school's large population.
The best place to reside and buy a house is Saratoga. I have some friends/family who live there also and they have big beautiful homes with taxes approximately $3000/year. Nice area too! But remember, Saratoga has the track and SPAC to help their tax base.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Bumblethru...I agree on all but the tax part....My house in Rotterdam has been assessed @ 325,000...school tax 4,000 + my current town tax is 3200....toatal = 7200...I am sure my town tax will go up at least 1,000...so total tax bill somewhere around 8,200.....I am looking at a brand new house in Balston Lake...cost 425,000 Total tax bill 7800.00.....You dont have the rif raf and I would have to say the schools are very good...yes a bit large but good. I like Rotterdam, but cant wait aroud for it to get cleaned up....
Biaggio, if you are young enough,and have children, you should seriously think of moving while you are still young. It becomes harder to move when the children are established a few years in a school system and have made neighborhood and school friends. Although it is done all the time, the decision to move gets harder the more we become established in one area.
My husband and I have been thinking about moving. It may not be an option since we live on the end of Rt 7 that is prime for new development. We were looking into areas where the taxes wouldn't be so high. But a friend of ours said to just choose the place you want to live because taxes will be high everywhere. And we are beginning to think that is true.
I have lived here all of my life. Went to school here and raised my children here. I'm affilited with a church and like the doctors that I have. And my family is still here. I like having roots in a small town. I like having the history. I enjoy small town living. I sometimes like the idea of my children going to school and having their teacher be someone I went to high school with.(that was a while ago)
If we move, I would prefer it to stay in Rotterdam. If not Rotterdam, it would not be too far from it.
Schenectady County is on the verge of a massive property tax increase {Oct. 2 Gazette]. The tax hike is “mandated” by the state of New York to a large extent. Some feel-good spending by the county Legislature piles on the tax load. Patronage jobs do not help, either. As a resident and homeowner in Rotterdam, I am reeling from a massive increase in my school taxes. It is important to point out that I will pass on my “massive” property tax increase to my tenants. It is not only the homeowner that pays taxes, so do renters. It is time renters got interested in local politics and voted accordingly. Everyone has a stake in keeping taxes down, including incumbent politicians who want to keep their cushy jobs. EDMOND DAY Rotterdam
I agree with Edmond, but ya know it is always JUST ABOUT TAXES! That just happens to be the big ticket discussion right now. Which I agree is deserving of major discussion and in need of major 'poliician changing'. Yes renters must vote, but they need to get involved as well. They need to be informed on all of the issues IF they are in Rotterdam for the long haul and their apt isn't just a 1 year flop stay and then on to the next town.
There are other considerations as well such as school districts(education), crime, infrustructure, town services and development. We can't have residents of Rotterdam voting based on tax issues alone. They and ourselves need to examine all of the benefits and short comings a town has to offer before we or they can make an informed decision/vote.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Time for taxpayers to stop taking tax hikes lying down
Well, I have just returned from the town hall. Yes, my $5,700-plus and rising school tax bill on my three-bedroom home behind Schalmont High School is paid. I just can’t wait to see my general property tax bill this January. Judging from the comments I heard at the tax window, I can take some solace in knowing I am not alone. Then to add insult to injury, I read the Oct. 1 headline, “Budget to call for tax hike ... Savage: 9.7 percent increase is ‘totally unacceptable.’” People, when and where is this madness going to end? Our tax rates are at crippling and confiscatory levels; this cannot be denied. Some politicians acknowledge this fact, Supervisor Steve Tommasone and county Legislator Joe Suhrada, among them. The ability of the property owner — renters bear a burden as well — to continue to absorb tax hike after tax hike is rapidly diminishing. Didn’t we fight a war about this once? To continue on this path will lead to ruin for our communities. Who or what is the blame? It would be easy to single out school districts — heaven only knows they need all those budget increases for dire and important educational needs, like the flashy new sign in front of Schalmont High School. I could go on ad infinitum. It would be, likewise, easy to blame all our politicians who vote to spend our money thoughtlessly and unabashedly. How about state government? According to the article, New York is just two out of 50 states not assuming the cost of Medicaid. Well, the aforementioned are all true, but the buck stops here with each one of us. Like sheep to the slaughter, we go and pay our tax bill, silently and resigned to our fate. Folks, we must begin to pay more attention to what is going on in government. We must exercise our right to vote — early and often. All budget increases must be met with determined and resounding opposition! Write, e-mail, call, scream and shout, do whatever it takes to let the powers that be know “we are mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!” If we don’t get a handle on this soon, we’re going to find ourselves, our friends, neighbors and families forced out of our homes and communities. If we could just find a way to get all government to operate as effectively and efficiently as the assessor/tax collector’s office, wouldn’t life be grand? I humbly ask Sen. Hugh Farly, Assemblyman James Tedisco, Assemblyman George Amedore, et al. — where are you? ROY F. BORDEAU Rotterdam
I recently — oh, joy — received in the mail a check from the state Tax Department. I had some trouble understanding what it was for, until I remembered that the Legislature, in its infinite wisdom, had decided that was the way to provide middle-class STAR property tax rebates. I suppose I am expected to be very thankful to the state government for its generosity in sending me a check for less than 10 percent of my annual school tax, an amount that is essentially meaningless to me — but I am not. I keep asking why the rebate was made by way of a mailed check, expensive for the state to print and send, rather than as a simple line item on the school tax bill. Then I remembered that our Legislators expect us to fall ultimately beholden to them for sending us checks like this, and to re-elect them time and time again in gratitude, despite their utter incompetence in dealing with day-to-day legislative items. They prefer to spend their (legislative?) time naming state butterflies and investigating the governor for his own investigative action directed at their noble Senate leader for improperly using state transportation for political purposes. Given the blatancy of this incompetence, it is important for members of the Legislature to put their names before the public in favorable ways whenever they can, even if the actions they perform in doing so are senseless and their purpose could be much more efficiently and cheaply served in another way. Perhaps the Legislators are also trying to get us to spend money we can’t afford to spend. It’s much easier for the average person to squander a check sent in the mail than a line item on a tax bill. Well, I’m not buying it. I’m from Missouri (years ago) and my legislators — Farley and Tedisco — have to show me by actually doing something useful rather than sending checks that mean little to me. So far, I have been disappointed. WILLIAM H. PITTMAN Niskayuna
Time for taxpayers to stop taking tax hikes lying down
Well, I have just returned from the town hall. Yes, my $5,700-plus and rising school tax bill on my three-bedroom home behind Schalmont High School is paid. I just can’t wait to see my general property tax bill this January. Judging from the comments I heard at the tax window, I can take some solace in knowing I am not alone. Then to add insult to injury, I read the Oct. 1 headline, “Budget to call for tax hike ... Savage: 9.7 percent increase is ‘totally unacceptable.’” People, when and where is this madness going to end? Our tax rates are at crippling and confiscatory levels; this cannot be denied. Some politicians acknowledge this fact, Supervisor Steve Tommasone and county Legislator Joe Suhrada, among them. The ability of the property owner — renters bear a burden as well — to continue to absorb tax hike after tax hike is rapidly diminishing. Didn’t we fight a war about this once? To continue on this path will lead to ruin for our communities. Who or what is the blame? It would be easy to single out school districts — heaven only knows they need all those budget increases for dire and important educational needs, like the flashy new sign in front of Schalmont High School. I could go on ad infinitum. It would be, likewise, easy to blame all our politicians who vote to spend our money thoughtlessly and unabashedly. How about state government? According to the article, New York is just two out of 50 states not assuming the cost of Medicaid. Well, the aforementioned are all true, but the buck stops here with each one of us. Like sheep to the slaughter, we go and pay our tax bill, silently and resigned to our fate. Folks, we must begin to pay more attention to what is going on in government. We must exercise our right to vote — early and often. All budget increases must be met with determined and resounding opposition! Write, e-mail, call, scream and shout, do whatever it takes to let the powers that be know “we are mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!” If we don’t get a handle on this soon, we’re going to find ourselves, our friends, neighbors and families forced out of our homes and communities. If we could just find a way to get all government to operate as effectively and efficiently as the assessor/tax collector’s office, wouldn’t life be grand? I humbly ask Sen. Hugh Farly, Assemblyman James Tedisco, Assemblyman George Amedore, et al. — where are you? ROY F. BORDEAU Rotterdam
Well Roy, you said a mouthful here! And you are right on target! And as you so correctly stated that Mr.Tommasone and Mr.Suhrada are just as concerned as we are. We clearly need to start a grass roots movement demanding that ALL of our elected officials, be it Dem or Rep, to cut spending. We clearly need to unload Proctors to private investors, and have a cut off date for the Metroplex. (isn't 9 years enough?) Abolish 'appointed' political postions to friends and family, and in the school districts as well.
We are not alone here in Rotterdam facing the same tax problems. If Rotterdam joined forces with the city and ALL of the surrounding towns, perhaps we can make a difference. NO...I KNOW WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Everyone remember all of these statements come November and vote for the people running who will cut spending and lower taxes and stop all the pork being pumped into the 2 blocks of State Street.
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