The guy with a champagne taste and the price of a beer lecturing people about paying their fair share, I didn't see your name on any tax bills.

The METROPLEX/GILLEN and the city leaders have apparently dug a very deep financial hole for the taxpayers. It will take decades upon decades to undo this mess. God only knows where they will get more money from now on. The taxpayers, the ones who are left, are tapped out and the tax exempt businesses would all go belly up IF they had to start paying their fair share since business 'really' isn't quite as good as the 'cheerleaders' pretend.

Quoted from visitor

To be fair - Yagieslski said that the school has great programs to offer to students - that is accurate.

The low graduation rate cannot be laid compeltely at the foot of the school district.

that would probably have more to do with the 'red lining'

Quoted from Hamburg

And WE are SICK of YOU -- along with the other Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity who DON'T WANT to pay their fair share to see that the City succeeds! All of you want to tear the City DOWN -- instead you should be building it UP and doing what you CAN to make it a success!

Uh, excuse me, Hamburg, you need to explain HOW your arrive at the conclusion that  the "nattering....." don't want to "pay their fare share"

Explain the math Hamburg.

Let's see, typical homeonwers in the city pay about the HIGHEST PROPERTY TAXES IN THE WHOLE DANG USA.   Residential houses in the city that are assessed for $100,000 pay almost $5,000 in combined property taxes, fees, and school taxes.   The typical total household income in the city is about $30,000 a year.    

The homeonwers ALSO must pay out of their OWN POCKETS for repairs to their homes.


Now, hamburg, Villa Italia got a brand new building largely paid for by the taxpyaers.   The owner is a MILLIONAIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     The dems gave have totally exempted this propety from EVER paying property/school taxes !!!!!!!!!!!

Now, explain how YOUR math, what math did YOU use, Hamburg, that validates YOUR statement that we on this board don't want to pay our fair share?????     Explaiin that.   The homeonwers in the city pay roughly one sixth of their annual TOTAL HOUSEHOLD income in the property school taxes each year, while the milllonaires of Villa Italia pay ZERO in taxes,

When a millioniare pays ZERO in taxes and the family with an income of $30,000 pays one-sixth of their income in taxes, explain HOW YOU claim the homeonwers don't want to pay their "fair share"

What is your definition of fair share?

Tell uzs Hamburg. most of the businesses and devleopers of downtonwn got these fancy schmancy buildiings with all kinds of amenities paid for largely by the taxpyaers.   But we hoomeonwers, if we have to make a repair, we pay out of our own pockets

We homeonwers pay TWICE and the business/property owners/developers downtown pay next to NOTHING !!!!!!!!!!!!!    Now HOW does mathematiccaly may we don't want to pay our fair share.

We pay TWICE.   We pay OUR OWN PROPERTY taxes AND we pay the propety and school taxes of the multimillion dollar buildings downtown!!!!!!!!

OUR TAX DOLLARS paid to build the Bow Tie Theater.   On top of OUR money being used to build the theater, we have to pay the taxes for it too!!!!!!!     The buildling is assessed for a WHOPPING $7.5 MILLION but the owners pay taxes on only $525,000.    

So tell us Hamburg, since the Bow Tie pays taxes on ONLY 7% (seven percent) OF IT'S TOTAL VALUE.

Center City is assessed for a WHOPPING $6.3 MILLION and pays ABSOLUTELY ZERO in property taxes.   We homeonwers pay 100% of our OWN county property taxes AND we pay 100% of the county property taxes on Center City

Marcella's Appliances got a new building largely at taxpayer expense and the buildling is assessed at a WHOPING $2,275,300 and pays ZERO in property taxes.   Those of us who live outside the city, we pay 100% of our own county property taxes PLUS we pay for 100% of the county property taxes on Marcellas.   Those who live in the city, not only pay their own city taxes PLUS county taxes PLUS school taxes on their own houses, but they ALSO pay the COMPLETE AND TOTAL city tax bill for Marcellas, PLUS the county tax bill PLUS the school tax bill!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, uh, Hamburg, how about Bombers   Explain this one.   It's assessed for $531,000 but the assessement exemption amount is $774,000.  

Proctors received tens of MILLIONS in taxpayer money to get it's re-do.   It is assessed for a WHOPPING $26,924,200 !!!!!!!!!!!    It operates IN THE EXACT SAME WAY as each and every for profit theater business thorughout the country and on Broadway.   It pays ABSOLUTELY ZERO in property taxes.   Proctors last year explained that they made $5 MILLION in the one month alone that Lion King was there.   They have shows throughotu the year.   They collect rents from other businesses.     Then they used taxpayers' money to buy a property that was paying taxes -- the old KeyBank and used taxpayers money to make it into a glitzy catering hall which is only used for the rich and politiclaly  connected.   But yet it is exempt from taxes as a "not-for-profit"    NFPs provide low cost or free services to the people.   That catering hall does NOT provide Thanksgiving meals for the poor, nor does it feed the poor at ANY OTHER day during the year.   Neither Proctors nor any of those other places connected with it, gives ANYTHING to the homeonwers who pay their tax bills and give Morris a lavish salary!!!!!!!

So, since these downtown places do NOT pay any taxes, explain your math that we don't want ot pay our fair share.

We pay our own taxes PLUS the taxes of downtown.

Hampton Inn, connected to the multimilion Hilton family, they pay taxes on only 25% of their assessed value.   Paul Mitchell, a Forbes BILLIONAIRE---pays NO TAXES WHATSOLEVER.

Your math, Hamburg??????    Your definition of faire share?????

Quoted Text

Schenectady officials hawking city homes were being hypocrites

    Re Feb. 18 article, “City opens its doors to prospective buyers”: If city workers were also city dwellers, Schenectady would be in the middle of a building boom. The demand for housing would be greater than the supply.
    Unfortunately, quite the opposite condition prevails. There are approximately 700 abandoned or empty houses in Schenectady. The Feb. 19 press conference was an attempt to shed light on the situation.
    However, from my perspective, the press conference was the most farcical event ever held in the city. The mayor was flanked by figureheads who do not live in Schenectady. They cannot be considered role models for the place they tried to promote.
    For instance, [interim] School Superintendent John Yagielski was on hand to answer questions. He lives in Clifton Park.
    Schenectady’s police chief also attended the press conference. The chief makes his home in Scotia. A clause in the Police Benevolent Association contract also allows police officers to retain their jobs and live within a 25-mile radius of police headquarters. Many officers take advantage of this contractual boondoggle.
    Conditions are no better in the Fire Department. Chief Michael Della Rocco has a Latham address, and nonresidents make up a good part of the force.
    I am very familiar with the housing stock in Schenectady. There is no reason for the “work here, live elsewhere” mentality.
    The city offers much to satisfy everyone’s taste. Even the fi xer-uppers have the potential to revert to their original grandeur. The architecture on them is beautiful.
If taxpayers’ money is good enough for the nonresidents, so is our community. Schenectady is a stimulating place to live. Residency is key to the housing glut and financial health of the city.
I applaud the citizens who showed their properties during the open house tour and wish them quick sales.

MARY MCCLAINE
Schenectady

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00703&AppName=1

Quoted from Hamburg

And WE are SICK of YOU -- along with the other Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity who DON'T WANT to pay their fair share to see that the City succeeds! All of you want to tear the City DOWN -- instead you should be building it UP and doing what you CAN to make it a success!

Gee, a couple weeks and Hamburg STILL REFUSES to answer my question of "what is faire share"    

Refuses to answer why 100% exemptions for millionaires and politically connected is fair   And why is it that financially struggling homeonwers, typical families of incomes of r $30,000, maybe $40,000 and having them pay taxes that are almost the highest in the country - Hamnburg merely claims that they don't don't to pay their fair share.

So, hamburg, I guess you are saying the taxpayers should be taxed out of their homes in order to totally exempt the rich and politically connected from paying any taxes and that is how a city is built up??????   Please explain, because it is quite obvious that the usage of that thought is indeed causing the city to fail, i.e., peoiple lose their homes, homes become vacant, taxes are high and property values plummeting, no one wants to buy a house in the city, city employees don't want to live in the city,  the highest paid city employees don't wont buy a house in the city and the dems refuse to make it a condition of employment.   Even a salary of $95,000 plus lavish benefits to lure someone to be the city engineer isn't enough to make soomeone want to live in the city.   WHY IS THIS THE CASE, HAMBURG?????    WHY????????    And for one of the most expensive properties in the whole city with it's lavish gold and crystal putting on ultra expensive shows - the theater goers from outside the city, outside the county - even a grand theater isn't enough to make people want to buy a home in the city.   Why is that Hamburg????    Can you answer why??????     Even the lavish salary that Morris gets---what did he do?????    He didn't even want to live in the city.   Why not, Hamburg?????    Why did Morris flee the city?????    Huh??????

You don't have the guts to answer these questions!!!!    

Let's see how you can explain yourself, when the poor people of the city are paying almost the highest taxes in the whole country and YOU have the nerve to say that they don't want to pay their fair share to the city while at the same time the millionaires and politically connected are exempt from paying taxes,   Well, let's see your mathematical explanation for how your arrive at "fair share"

Of course, Ham will spew his usual nonsense babble or some obsenity - his usual response when he cannot answer a question

Was just curious what happened since mayor McC used used the taxpayer money to hold open houses.

I came across one, I don't know if this was on the McC's "Tour"   I don't have my paper so I don't know if it was specifically listed in the story, or if ther there was an open house.   But it's one of many in the nicer area of the city, Ardlsey Rd.   So check this out.

Just last year in July, 2011, the ultimate decision by the city dems, via the final assessment amount for this house, proclaimed the market value of this house was $188,800.

So, on July 15, 2011  it was listed for sale by Fraida Varah Real Estate, via MLS # 201123572, and the asking price was $185,000

WOW, just a mere two weeks later, JUST TWO WEEKS LATER !!!!!!    On July 28, 2011 the asking price was DROPPED to $175,000 !!!!!!!!!!

And there it sat.   NO ONE INTERESTED IN BUYING IT !!!!!!!!

And so, on November 8, 2011, the listing was removed.

Then, on January 18, 2012 it was again listed for sale, this time by Realty USA, via MLS # 201201002 with an asking price of $166,900
Notice already, asking price recduced by almost $20,000 below what the city dems claim it's worth.

Obviously McC's taxpayer funded tour didn't do anything

On March 2, 2012, just two weeks after McC's grand taxpayer funded tour,  the asking price was lowered yet again, now down to $157,000

How many more price reductions will occur?

Oh yeah, and the taxes, are         DRUM ROLL PLEASE ...............    BRRRRRRRRR   Pah Rum Pum Pum Pummmmmmmmm   BRRRRR  .............

A WHOPPING    $8,543 !!!!!!!!


And YES DV, unlike you, I DO produce THE EVIDENCE !!!!!!!!!!!!   And here IS that evidence:



First, here is the listing from the first realtor:

http://www.fraida.com/property/1149-ARDSLEY-RD-Schenectady-New-York

Then here is the current listing from the current realtor, which shows the taxes:

http://realtyusa.com/property/.....&VAR_SearchType=


And here is the pricing history:

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1149-Ardsley-Rd-Schenectady-NY-12308/32465306_zpid/


And here is the proof that the city claims the market value is $188,800




Now, of course, IF, IF it EVER sells the new buyer can grieve the assessment, or heck, the current owner should grive the assessment.   If the city dem buddies on the board deny this house a major assessment reduction, if grieved, that will prove beyond all doubt that they have a major screw loose.

The owner (current or future) could see a lower tax BILL if the assessed value is lowered.   And perhaps the owner could enjoy such a break for a while.   But sooner or later, more and more people are going to start realizing that their houses are drastically less than the city claims and either they will grieve in huge numbers, or the city is going to have to reassess everyone.   OF COURSE the city will have reassess DOWNWARD, and when it does, the tax BILLS will go UP (for those who have successfully grieved in prior years - as long as the dems continue to exempt the milionaires and politically connected downtown from paying taxes, then the homeonwers will continue to shoulder that major crushing burden, while the dem leaders, the milioniares, and the politically connected feast on all the taxpayer funded/subsidized champagne and filet mignon in Morris lavish taxpayer funded banquet hall.



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Seeing as it was a taxpayer funded open house tour using taxpayer funded employees, then the city has an obligation to the taxpayers to report on the outcome of this use of taxpayer money.

How many houses got offers
How many houses had multiple offiers
How many offers were accepted
What is the original asking price, the asking price at the time of McC's tour, and what is the selling price, what did the owners have to give in concessions

Do buyers get free golf at the city golf park?

/tic

Quoted from 147

Do buyers get free golf at the city golf park?

/tic

No. They get free 'disc golf' in Central Park

Thanks MC1 for your diligence on bringing this all to light! You are correct about the taxes!

Assessed at $188K.........if and when it sells it will obviously be sold for MUCH LESS.......yet the taxes will reflect the $188K!!

Now who in their right mind will buy that house in schenectady? Who would buy anything where historically the value is still decreasing and taxes are rising?

Again.......the highest taxes in almost the entire country......and they are almost broke.........and the housing market is still in decline and the taxes and fees are increasing!!! OMG!!!

Quoted from bumblethru

  

Assessed at $188K.........if and when it sells it will obviously be sold for MUCH LESS.......yet the taxes will reflect the $188K!!

And just to reiterate for those to read these boards.   The taxes currently reflect the city dems' claim that the house is worth $188K.  

Since the city REFUSES to spend the money to provide the NECESSARY SERVICES to the homeonwers -- that being to keep the assessments up to date from year to year, up to date to reflect the true value of the properties, since the city is more interested in using the homeowners money by giving handouts to the millioniares and politically connected (downtown), then it becomes the responsbility of the homeonwer to grieve their assessment.  

What happens is that some people have the time and energy to grieve and if they win, they will see a tax "reduction" (the word reduction used cautiously because if you and I have the exact same assessment and I successfully grieve and you don't go through the process, then the tax rate will increse in the following year, you will pay higher taxes, I will net a reduction.

Then, if and when the city does it's job and reassesses the whole city, and in theory you and I would again be assessed the same, my tax BILL would go up in the year following a reassessment and you could potentially see a slight reduction in your tax BILL (because my reduction via my choice to grieve caused you to pay more of a tax hike than you should have been hiked).

Again, I can refer board readers to the explanation I presented earlier that shows how a citywide assessment reduction does NOT reduce the tax BILLs, because it increased the tax RATE proportionately.

The people who "win" in a tax savings are those who do see the proof and file a grievance in their assessment, and they only "win" IF the board does in fact reduce their assessment.   The "win" will last only as many years as the city fails to do it's job of keeping assessments up to date.

And in this city, the dems and their puppets on the board, well, we all know, property values are tanking yet, when the property owners grieve and provide the proof, the dem puppets on the board claim that the owners have not provided enough information --- to warrant a reduction of assessment.

The homeonwers in the city have an entitlement, as taxpayers, to be told HOW the board arrived at the decision that not enough information has been provided.   This house in the above post is an excellent example.   City claims it's worth $188K, there have been no willing buyers at that price, nor at the several reduced asking prices.   IF the current owners grieved this year and asked for a reduction, say, to $160,000, their proof positive would be the "no willing buyers" and yet the dem puppet board would probably will refuse to reduce ot claiming "insufficient data" or whatever their lame excuse terminology has been.

Unfortunately, the dem leaders in this city are going to just sit back, spend the taxpayers money giving handouts to downtown instead of doing their job and spending the taxpayers' money on the services to the taxpayers---which means spending it on a citywide reassessment NOW!    

Using the above example of $8.543 a year in taxes (that will only go UP over the course of a 20 year mtg), the new owner will spend $711.92 JUST in taxes per MONTH.

Again, using the above example, a person with "good" credit, using a 6.5% interest rate:

Mortgage Repayment Summary
$1,244.36 Monthly Payment           
$298,646.70 Total of 240 Payments
$126,322.53 Total Interest Paid           
Feb, 2032 Pay-off Date

so, factor 1244.36+711.92, their total per month, for just taxes and mortgage principle, is $1956.28.  Add to that the "fees" that the city charges, cost of improvements, etc - how can ANYONE afford to live in this city?

Someone with GOOD credit is allowed, typically (others can correct me here) to have 1/3 of your monthly income go to housing.  For the sake of argument, let's say $2000 per month in housing costs (reality is a LOT higher) .. that means $6k in income, just to qualify. Not a lot of Schenectady residents pulling 6-10k/mo right now, unless both adults work.

crazy

Now, here's another point that needs to be mentioned.

IF the city undertook a citywide reassessment, and let's say that all properties were reassessed downward by, say, an average of 30%.   That house mentioned above, currently assessed at $188,800 would be reassessed for $132,160.

Because the dems refuse to make the millionaires and politically connected downtown pay taxes, and because the dems refuse to make necessary cuts, the tax LEVY would remain the same which would proportionately INCREASE the tax RATE, thus the tax BILLS would essentially remain the same.

House is assessed at $188,800 now and has a tax BILL of $8,543

Using the example a few sentences prior, the house with the "new" assessment of $132,160 would have a tax BILL of what???????    $8,543 !!!!!!

The city needs to make cuts NOW in the STUPID UNCESSARY spending such as free health insurance for council members, giving expensive cars to employees to take their daily pleasure drives far outside the city, etc.    And the city must ACT NOW -- IMMEDIATELY to increase revenue by stopping any and all tax exemptions on those downtown properties owned/operated by their politically connected buddies and the well-heeled---forcing them to pay taxes would result in a reducction of the tax RATE across the board which would result in a reduction of the tax BILL for the existing homeowners.

Going after the absentee landlords is a good IDEA, but it usually fails because they can declare bankruptcy and then the city can't take collect a dime in those back taxes.   How do you think that Popolizio is living it up after all those years?

Ditto going after the code violations.   The biggest offenders are the absentee landlords who will be charged, they will be penalized with fines, if they don't pay it gets added to the tax bill, and they don't pay the tax bill which becomes uncollectible because of bankruptcy.   Those who do get hurt with the "going after code violators" are the homeowners who are shouldering the heavy tax burden, struggling financially every day, trying to do what they can to maintain there homes, doing what they can from year to year in repairs, then the city comes down hard on them ordering them to repair within 30 days, because they don't have the financial ability to accomplish that, fines will be added to their tax bills, and the homeonwers will end up paying in out years or if they can't afford the tax bills with fines added, they wind up losing their homes.   All this in return for the financially struggling homeonwers, i.e., the taxpayers, paying to provide brand spankin' new buildings downtown, or lavishly renovated buildings, with subsequent 100% exemptions for those downtown millionaires from ever payinng taxes!!!!!!!!!

Quoted from 147

  
.. that means $6k in income, just to qualify. Not a lot of Schenectady residents pulling 6-10k/mo right now, unless both adults work.

crazy

Oh, is THAT why DV doesn't buy a house in the city?


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