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ROTTERDAM: Schools face angry taxpayers

Posted on: 09/12/07
Written by: Jessica Harding, Schenectady County Reporter
email: hardingj@spotlightnews.com

If you live in Rotterdam, chances are you received your school tax bills and chances are you are not happy, because your taxes are very high or because you realized you have been overcharged for years.

The school board president and town officials have been fielding angry phone calls from residents who have just received their tax bills for the past week.

Mohonasen Superintendent Kathleen Spring said she has been answering phone calls from frustrated and confused residents since school began on Thursday, Sept. 6, and town Supervisor Steven Tommasone said during the past week, he has answered about 100 phone calls and e-mails from residents with questions about their tax bills.

Spring and Denise Swezey, assistant superintendent for business, presented tax rate information to about 30 residents at Mohonasen’s school board meeting Monday, Sept 10. According to their information, the average Rotterdam homeowner who lives within the Mohonasen School District will pay school taxes at a rate of $14.64 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Residents were most confused about their tax bills because when the first tax disclosure notices were mailed in March, it said school tax rates would be set at $8.89.

Both Spring and Swezey said they had no idea how GAR Associates, who did the town’s reassessment or the town came up with that number, but it was clearly wrong.

“We said since the beginning of our budget process that tax rates would be between $12 and $14,” Spring said.

Tax rates come from dividing the total assessed value of properties within a district by the tax levy.

A school district’s tax levy is the total amount of money the district will be collecting from the taxpayers. Swezey said regardless of how much individual taxes increase, the district collects the same amount. This year Mohonasen’s tax levy is $20,821,340. For the 2006-2007 school year the tax levy was $19,972,671, an increase of $848,669 or 4.25 percent.

Swezey said the increase in the tax levy usually is why people’s taxes increase, but this year another factor – the reassessment – added to the increase in school taxes.

For example, if school tax rates remained the same, but the reassessment still took place, taxes for some residents would still increase. A resident with a home assessed at $135,593 with a school tax rate of $14.64 would pay $1,976.40 in school taxes. If that same resident’s home was reassessed the next year at $175,000 and they still paid a tax rate of $14.64 the homeowner would pay $2,562 in school taxes – an increase of $585.60.

According to Swezey, the increase in this year’s school tax levy is only a small portion of the increase in school taxes. She said if the reassessment had been done a year ago, this year’s tax rate increase would be 60 cents.

Residents also expressed concern that Mohonasen did not adopt the Homestead/Non-Homestead Act, which was adopted by the town and by the Schalmont School District.

School board members said they did not want to put an added burden on the small business owners that make up a majority of businesses in the Mohonasen district.

“We didn’t want to drive business away because the next year, the tax burden would fall greater on the homeowners,” former school board president Nancy Del Prado said.

According to Swezey, about 21 percent of taxable properties in the Mohonasen district were non-residential compared to the 52 percent of taxable properties in the Schalmont district.

Swezey said if the school board had adopted the Homestead/Non-Homestead provision it would have meant a tax rate savings of about 60 cents for residents and a tax rate increase of about $3.60 for business owners.

Former town Supervisor John Paolino said if residents were to blame anyone it should be him because his administration passed the resolution to allow for the reassessment.

“Assessments at full value mean we are taxing people fairly and equally. We are treating everyone the same, and morally that is the right thing to do,” he said.

Before the reassessment, some homeowners had their properties assessed incorrectly or over- assessed, leaving them paying a greater share of the levy than others. Those people can expect to see a decrease in their tax bills.

This year the state adopted the 2007 Middle Class STAR rebate program, which can save residents of middle incomes about $300 on their tax bill. Residents have to fill out and file the form by Nov. 30. A link to more information about the program is available on the school’s Web site at http://www.mohonasen.org.

Del Prado said she was also surprised at the number of other exemptions available for residents. Those exemptions are available on the town’s Web site at http://www.rotterdamny.org.  
You can contact hardingj@spotlightnews.com with any questions.

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Residents were most confused about their tax bills because when the first tax disclosure notices were mailed in March, it said school tax rates would be set at $8.89.

Both Spring and Swezey said they had no idea how GAR Associates, who did the town’s reassessment or the town came up with that number, but it was clearly wrong.

I thought GAR said it was 'just a number'....not the actual number..... ...then again there's not much I take at face value.....

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I thought GAR said it was 'just a number'....not the actual number..... ...then again there's not much I take at face value.....

I think what I heard as a recurring theme at the town board meeting Wednesday is that although it was "just a number," that number was QUITE a ways off.  In fact, I remember some gentleman there saying the "just a number" was $1,000 or more off of the "actual number."

It doesn't matter how far off....our responsibility lies in attending board meetings, both the schools and town......I never ever thought that the numbers used by GAR were the 'local government' #'s......GAR cannot assign real tax rates.....they find the value of property(hopefully going market value-the real value, not under and not over)......the tax rate is our GOVERNMENT'S responsibility......maybe we should have educated ourselves better as to the process of both the re-val and the tax levys/rates/tax assessments........tax assessments ARE NOT market assessments....2 different numbers with 2 different uses.......

I'm very confused as to folks rational for even thinking that the number given from GAR was the number the GOVERNMENT/SCHOOL was to use....

Pretend that after picking apples I wrote a recipe for an apple pie(this is GAR) and I gave you( the government/schools) that recipe, and in the recipe it stated"add salt to taste"(Tax rate).......it is the same thing.....the government/school chooses the tax rate based on the levy.......

This was a # that surely we should have been able use as a guide....the town hired this group to do this,why would you expect it not to be reviewed by them.....Town is using it as an excuse...Please...since 2005 my  school  taxes went up 1900...cant wait to see my town tax.....

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This was a # that surely we should have been able use as a guide....the town hired this group to do this,why would you expect it not to be reviewed by them.....Town is using it as an excuse...Please...since 2005 my  school  taxes went up 1900...cant wait to see my town tax.....

biag--you must have been under-assessed....did you purchase your home from a vet/senior etc???? A friend of mine purchased his home, quite a few years ago(about 12) and was shown the taxes that the current owners(vet/senior) paid at the time of their offer by the sellers realestate agent.....it took the town 2years to 'catch up'......talk about shock.....

GAR cannot give a number and put any weight behind it, NYS doesn't let them.......

http://www.dailygazette.com

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Revaluation has made Rotterdam taxes fairer

   Re Sept. 9 letter by Thomas Buchanan, “The past has caught up to the present with Rotterdam taxes”: Residents whose taxes went up substantially have been under paying their fair share for years. Now it’s time to pay up! They’re being asked to pay their fair share and they don’t like it.
   As for the homestead tax, again someone else is being asked to pay more than their fair share. As a business owner in Rotterdam, my commercial property doesn’t send any children or use the resources of the school district. But I don’t mind paying my fair share of the tax burden. Again, the word is fair.
   Maybe those who share Mr. Buchanan’s views would be willing to pay a larger share of the tax burden themselves.
   KEITH AVERY
   Rotterdam
The writer is owner of Bagels and Bakes.

  
  
    

We dont need homestead act....this is just a 'barrier' for what the State/Fed/Union mandates are slapping onto the communities.....not to mention how expensive we are becoming for ourselves......we are just robbing Peter to pay Paul and they both seem to have their hands in our pockets and doing a---"one for you, two for us, one for you, two for us......"

everyone always wants something for nothing and always more of it.......

SHOW ME THE $$ TRAIL.....lotto, STAR, contracts etc........

What we really need is for the school systems to hold the line on their budgets and stop holding the school activities hostage every time a school budget is voted down. I agree with you Senders that the state gives us a token rebate[star program] then the school district raises our taxes much more than our rebate and we lose again. Salaries have got to be curbed as well. In the private sector you can't ask for more money in raises and benefits than the company can afford so how can the school systems do it and think it can go on forever the way they have been.

I guess you guys have more money than I do.....from 3000.00 to 4600.00 in school taxes alone....I think I was paying my fair share.....

I doubt that....but, if I were you I would investigate and see what the heck is 'adding up'......is that total for both school and land?

Well, I just found out that I'll be getting $435. bck from the state with this rebate that I filed on-line today.  Too bad I have to ask the state to send me my money when it rightfully belongs to me.

Just what I want to do....fill out more forms about taxes....just think in about 4 months we get to do it all over again for the state and feds......yeah,,,,,I would bet this is just smoke up our a$#@#...........................rebate=pull that lever.....

School only........what should I expect for Town....last year I paid a little over 3,000....add it up...7600 ++++ if the touwn doesnt go up....Again....I think I pay my fair share....  

What kind of house do you live in????  Is it a palace?? geez.....as usual it is the mish-mash of years of poor planning, and I am assuming here, that your house is newer and bigger and surrounded by 40-50year old homes......also, I dont blame you for being concerned about what you get for your $$, I agree, it's the VALUE of the taxes collected that concerns me....I dont want fluff and stuff and then have to say "more money for what?" after every year they go up....and up they will go as the economy around the country shows....and without any slowing.....$4.00=gallon of milk, $2.00(or more)=loaf of bread,,,never mind the organic stuff......it's all relative until we are starving,,,and living in America the only thing we seem to 'starve' for are flat screen tvs, computers, cars, DVD's, cable, etc........