News & Information - Town of Greenburgh

Most residents of Greenburgh started to receive their rebate check from NYS this week. The rebate check was sent to residents who live in communities that have not overruled the tax cap that was approved by the New York State Legislature & Governor. The tax cap limits the ability of school districts and municipalities from increasing property taxes by more than the 2% tax levy.

In 2014 19% of government entities in NYS overruled the tax cap. In 2015 (last year) the percentage of communities that overruled the tax cap increased to 26%. Last year the Edgemont School Board recommended to Edgemont voters that they overrule the tax cap. Voters agreed. the explanation of the Edgemont school district is posted on the following link:

http://www.edgemont.org/www/edgemont/site/hosting/Budget/Budget15FINAL.pdf

The issue that local governments and school districts will be facing in the coming years: Are people willing to give up services so that property tax increases could be kept low and so they could receive a check for a few hundred dollars from the state? Should the NYS Legislature exempt road repaving, infrastructure improvements from the tax cap formula? Some governments around the state are deferring capital improvements to the future so that they will be in compliance with the tax cap.

The Greenburgh Town Board has approved budgets that have kept tax increases below the tax cap every year since the cap was enacted? We have also made cuts in programs and implemented many efficiencies to help us comply. Are we doing the right thing?

This was in lohud.com

ALBANY -- Did you get your rebate check yet?

About half of the more than 2 million property-tax rebate checks have been sent out to homeowners who qualify for the program, the state tax department said this week.

"More than 1 million credits have been issued, and we continue to issue credits on a daily basis," said Geoffrey Gloak, a spokesman for the state Department of Taxation and Finance.

Homeowners — whose income is less than $500,000 — are getting rebate checks for the growth in their property taxes last year as part of a three-year, $1 billion program. This check is the largest during the program: It's a rebate for school and municipal taxes -- if the entities stayed under the property-tax cap and develop efficiency plans approved by the state.

"We are issuing property tax freeze credits as we receive, process and verify local data," the tax department said on its website. "We are issuing credits on a daily basis, while we take the necessary steps to ensure the accuracy of the local data and resulting credits."

The checks started going out Nov. 24, and the state has been checking with each taxing entity in the state to see if they've complied with the initiative.

The checks, according to the state Budget Division, are expected to range from $200 to $800, depending on how much a homeowner’s taxes rose this year. The largest checks will go to homeowners in the New York City area, including in the Hudson Valley, because they pay the highest taxes.

INFO ABOUT TAX CAP FROM NYS http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/realprop/pdf/faqs.pdf
Paul Feiner