“Property tax bills go out” plus 1 more

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 04:31 PM PST

Updated 12/30/2010 06:57 PM

It's almost a new year. And with that comes a new property tax bill. Because of a new sales tax sharing agreement in Onondaga County, taxes are going down in the city of Syracuse and up in many towns and villages. Our Kat De Maria caught up with people in Salina as their bills hit the mail Thursday.

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SALINA, N.Y. -- Calvin Davis is spending part of his afternoon chipping away at snow and ice from recent storms. What Davis didn't know, until we showed up in his driveway on Noble Avenue in the Town of Salina, is that soon he's also going to be chipping away at a property tax bill that's a lot more than in years past.

"No, I didn't realize that. I was kind of shocked," Davis said.

His shock didn't end there. Because of changes to the Onondaga County budget and a new agreement about how to share the county's sales tax, we informed Davis that taxes are going up a little more than $200 for a $100,000 home.

"Wow. That's just amazing. So they're just going to bleed us dry? Is that what that is?" he said.

A couple of blocks over, it's a completely different story. The changes to the sales tax sharing agreement mean taxes on Taft Avenue, which is considered the City of Syracuse, are going down.

"I think it's fantastic. It's about time. It's a little bit of savings," said Alvin Dougall, who lives on Taft Avenue.

Although pleased by his lower tax bill, Dougall says he's sorry to see his neighbors' go up, especially in tight economic times. Back a few blocks over, Davis says he thinks they'll be as surprised as he was.

"They're going to be shocked, yes. In fact, some people are probably looking out their window now saying, 'Hmm, what's going on?' So they're going to be asking me," he said.

They're also going to be asking Supervisor Mark Nicotra, who's ready with answers and even visual aids that include a giant copy of his own tax bill.

"They're going to be asking a lot more questions. And I hope they ask a lot more questions so they know what they're paying, what they're paying for, how much they're paying and what services they're getting for that dollar value," Nicotra said.

Most importantly, he wants people to know who's responsible.

"Because the property tax bill is coming from the town of Salina, automatically everyone would put all of the blame of any increase on the town. Not the case. All of that increase is going to be the impact of the county budget," Nicotra said.

It's been a long December. And at least for Calvin Davis, struggling with ice, and, bills is no way to finish it off.

"No it's not. Not at the end of the year. Wow," Davis said.

Included in Salina's tax bills is a sample breakdown of where the money goes. Nicotra says staff will be on hand all next week to field questions and concerns.

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Report details impact of property tax caps

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:15 AM PST

Tax collections plunge at 4 Gary taxing units

December 31, 2010

Routine visits to the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board serve as a telltale sign of how the state's property tax caps are impacting Gary.

But a state report released this month sheds new light on the caps' fiscal impact: At least four of Gary's taxing units, including the Gary Community School Corp., saw drastic cuts in the amount of taxes they can collect.

The property tax caps, voted into the state's constitution in November, stripped more than $13.9 million from Gary public schools, $3.5 million from the Gary Public Library and $874,655 from Gary/Chicago International Airport, according to a report produced by the Indiana Legislative Services Agency for Lake County. Those numbers represent more than half of the taxing units' levies. The city of Gary didn't see $12.5 million because of the caps in 2010.

"Generally speaking, if the tax rate is higher than $3 per $100 of assessed value, the unit of government is impacted by the property tax caps," Department of Local Government Finance spokeswoman Mary Jane Michalak said. "That is the case in Gary's situation. The fact that they have such a high tax rate, they will have a greater impact in the property tax caps than units of government in the $2 or $1 range."

For Gary libraries, the loss of revenue may mean shuttering two of the system's branches.

Calumet Township, whose Trustee Mary Elgin has decided against seeking relief from the DUAB, saw a $6 million cut in 2010. The township closed an office on Ridge Road and moved all operations to its office in downtown Gary.

"The trustee has consistently stated that she looked at it carefully and she has analyzed the predicament that the city of Gary has been put into going to DUAB. That might be a very good thing for the city, there is no criticism on that, but one of the things that happens when you go to DUAB, taxes are raised that's how the city manages to get the extra money," Elgin's executive aide, Stafford Garbutt, said. "The trustee did not want to burden the hard-working township residents with increased taxation."

When Elgin came into the office of trustee, the township had more than 200 employees. Now those numbers have dwindled to around 90, according to Garbutt. Calumet Township's shortfall also forced the township to reconfigure how it gives rental, utility and medical assistance.

The cap's influence also extends beyond Gary taxing units. Lake County experienced a $11.2 million hit.

The city of East Chicago didn't see $12.8 million because of the tax caps, according to the report.

However, for some taxing units that saw the sharpest impacts, losing the revenue didn't result in the loss of services because of planning.

Gary/Chicago International Airport Interim Director Steve Landry said the airport started planning several years ago for the property tax shortfall. The airport went to DUAB with the city of Gary to seek relief in 2009 but didn't return for this year, and doesn't know if it will plan a trip in 2011.

"We started preparing for the worst case scenario way back then," Landry said. "We've prepared our budgets over the last several years with that in mind."

Property Tax

Friday, December 31, 2010