With so many complaining high taxes are bleeding homeowners dry, it comes as welcome news. By most standards, their academic achievements were just as good as ours, if not better. Bergen County, New Jersey—just across the river—is $7,997, while Fairfield, Connecticut, is $6,051. The number of high … Property taxes in New York rose on average 4.2% between 2005 and 2012, a report this month by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found. Introducing Cortlandt would not be complete unless … In the 2008 fiscal year, the average Westchester school district spent $24,000 per pupil, or way more than double the national average of about $10,000, as reported by the Census Bureau. Taking the average, though, we’re paying our teachers well over a billion dollars a year. Harrison School Superintendent Louis Wool reports, for example, that the Harrison School District is facing $23 million in tax assessment challenges, mostly from commercial property owners, and he expects about one-third of them to go In Ossining, where I grew up, the taxes … Are we happy with the services they provide in return for that big check we write? 60% of the average Westchester property tax bill is due to schooling, and it amounts to 13% of total income for residents. At least in certain towns. There’s no question that our schools are good, but are they twice as good as everyone else’s? According to the New York State Office of Real Property Services, the formula is pretty simple: the taxing body (schools, town, etc.) “It’s ridiculous!” exclaims 64-year-old Rick Klett, who moved to Massachusetts in 2008. 228 East Route 59, Suite 330 Nanuet, NY 10954-2095, The New York Times has said that to set foot in…, Nyack, New York is a village that is situated within Rockland County,…, As an example, if we lower your taxes by $2,000 per year,…, Crugers, New York is a hamlet in Westchester County and located within…, Piermont, New York is a village located within Rockland County and in…, Lohud Journal reports that Westchester County ranked first in the nation last year,…, Real estate taxes are calculated by multiplying the assessment by the tax…, The town of Pelham, New York is located within an easy distance…, PROPERTY TAX APPEAL in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam & Orange Counties, NY, 845.215.8100   |   914.307.9200   |   212.561.5541, Find out if you're entitled to a PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION, Edgemont, New York – Home To Many Notables, Fairview, Westchester County, New York – A Tiny Hamlet, Eastchester – A Highly Populated Census-Designated Place, Crugers, New York – An Older Demographic Living Alone, Chappaqua, New York – Home To Notable People, Bedford Hills – Home To A Bevy Of Cultural Icons, Bedford, New York – A Village With Young People, New Square New York – A Village of Hasidim, Nyack, New York – A Village and Part of ‘The Nyacks’, Piermont, New York – Replete with Outdoor Activities, Westchester Tax Grievance Applications Loom. Excluding debt service, we spent $24,000 to educate each of ours—Fairfax spent $13,000. “It sounds like a lot, but have you looked at the cost of living in Westchester?” asks NYSUT spokesman Carl Korn. That's why once kids go to college a lot of parents move to CT for the lower taxes. 60% of the average Westchester property tax bill is due to schooling, and it amounts to 13% of total income for residents. State regulations and mandated services drive up other costs for Westchester’s schools, too. Overall, it represented $335 million in 2008. We can rant about the cost of fuel to operate our school buses and rave about saving two dollars a ton on rock salt for our roads, but the greatest share—about 70 percent—of our tax dollar goes for employee salaries and benefits. Westchester has 40. “It used to be ninety percent funded by the state,” she says. As in every other sector of our economy, health insurance takes an ever-increasing bite out of school budgets. On the June 2009, Newsweek magazine list of America’s Top High Schools, Fairfax had 11 schools in the top 200, while Westchester had eight. “The average person likes that they know the mayor and can call him if their garbage isn’t picked up,” Greenburgh Supervisor Feiner says. Feiner adds, “Local government doesn’t really have control over the entire salary structure.” If local administrations and employee unions can’t come to agreement on contract terms, he notes, they are required by law to go to arbitration. The four-year graduation rate was the same for both counties: 91 percent, and about the same percentage of students went on to college: 93 percent for Fairfax, 94 percent for Westchester. “A lot of the services could be handled by the local governments or the state.” Without a major revision in state law, however, it’s not going to happen. High taxes are undermining the Westchester economy, according to Al DelBello, former New York Lieutenant Governor, Westchester County Executive, and Mayor of Yonkers. We must worship our kids. The highest taxes in the nation, that’s what. The True Value Tax Rate is stated as dollars per $1,000 of full value as equalized by the NY State Office of Real Property Services and can be used as a relative measurement. Westchester apparently knows no bounds when it comes to spending on our schools. As a real estate broker with multiple offices in several locations I am always asked why are the taxes so high in Westchester. “The County government is patronage-heavy,” he says. Our property taxes, you see, are determined by a not-very-complex formula based on how much money our schools, village, town, county, and special taxing district(s) spend. But people want to have their cake, eat it, and not pay for it.”. “If the state would allow us, it would be possible.” He cites Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts where county governments were eliminated. The formula “good schools equal high home prices” might as well be tattooed on the forehead of every realtor in the County. But even among comparable places, particularly those in the New York metropolitan area, we still have the dubious distinction of topping the tax charts. All data from Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association Facts & Figures 2010 for 2009-2010 year except Superintendent salary data which is from SeethroughNY.org, which reports pay received in calendar year 2009. The county tax rate is high in part because of the parks system (if you ask a Republican), and in part because the state hands a percentage of its Medicare/Medicaid tax burdens down to the counties. Like Middlesex County, Massachusetts, part of the Boston metro, which is somewhat more populous and a little less prosperous, but where county government was abolished in 1997. estimates its expenses, subtracts income like state and federal aid, sales taxes, and fees, and divides the remaining expenses over the property tax base. Education is very people-intensive and that’s why it’s very expensive.” Class sizes in Fairfax, though, are equivalent to ours, according to Sperling’s Best Places to Live, while National Center for Education Statistics data for 2007-’08 show Westchester with 1,900 district-wide administrators and staffers. In Fairfax, it’s $47,000 to $99,000. Funding pension plans is a major expense—and a ticking time bomb. If you live in Westchester County, you are likely very aware of… Continue reading Introducing Cortlandt. All data from Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association Facts & Figures 2010 for 2009-2010 year except % From Property Tax, which was calculated from 2009-09. Or Fairfax County, Virginia, which is very similar to Westchester, except it spends a billion dollars less than we do on its schools and the average property tax bill is $4,616. LLC) Westchester County NY License # 49FA1074963 Virginia is a right-to-work state where unions aren’t a big factor. “If I had stayed in New Rochelle, almost my entire pension would have been eaten up by my real estate taxes!” Klett retired from a job with the Irvington School District and didn’t want to leave. Or Edgemont High? Their schools had 165,000 pupils in 2008; we had 145,000. The taxes here are so high because much of the population has let the people who run the municipalities and school districts do anything they want without any regard to efficient use of our money… “You’ve got all these different school systems while we have one big one, with one superintendent, one school board, one leadership team.”. Here is an answer from someone who looks at property and taxes in the U.S. and abroad from an investment perspective occasionally…. Scarsdale Village is the worst performing real estate market in Westchester because we pay the highest property taxes in New York State. Also Westchester is … When you multiply it times the number of teachers in Westchester, the difference hits your tax bill like a Big Mac hits your waistline. Fairfax had 1,200. “A big part of our cost savings is economy of scale,” says Fairfax County Public Schools spokesman Paul Reigner, who also happens to have worked for the NYS Department of Education a few years ago. Another disconcerting reality is that the manner in which property taxes are assessed is not uniform. It’s the tax rates that are killing us. High? So as inflation has fallen, so too has the cap. Current employees contribute an insignificant amount, although a recent change in state law created a new level (Tier V) that requires a 4.85 percent annual contribution by teachers who start in 2010 and raises the minimum retirement age to 57 with 30 years of service. You're paying to go to one of the top high-school in the country. When taxpayers complain, we are reminded that … The average residential property tax bill is about $5,500 annually, less than half of what Westchester residents pay (people in Fairfax still complain about property taxes being too high). The pay scales reflect it, too. Debt service in 2008 was $192 million and bussing cost $163 million, and plenty was spent on computers, football helmets, and big red pencils, but the overriding cost of getting our kids into an Ivy League college lies in the people we hire to do it. While the property tax represents the largest single source of their funding, it’s only slightly more than half. Efficient we’re not. “I took early retirement in the mid-nineties, and since then our taxes have tripled. Fairfax County has one school district. What’s more, state and local employees received $1.17 in new benefits for every dollar per hour pay increase from 2002 to 2008, compared to 58 cents for private sector workers. “New York State far exceeds the federal regulations, so the provision of services is much more expensive than in other places—and our results are no better,” Davis says. Since I live in Harrison, I’ll have to pay my share of that unless the town and school district cut expenses to offset it. Katonah’s contract with the union calls for an 11-percent employee contribution. All that overhead is costly. The County government splits the remainder more or less equally with the towns, villages, and municipalities, according to the New York State Comptroller. Good schools don’t have to cost a lot, though. But it’s also why the state has so many different programs to try to curb property taxes. Any particular plan will result in somebody’s ox getting gored.”. It’s $2.2 million. The superintendent of schools in Fairfax County earns $292,469 annually to manage about 200 schools with 165,000 students. But the biggest portion of our tax dollars go to pay for the people who clean our streets, put out our fires, and educate our children—and the layers of management we think they need. The multiplicity of services is horrendous. High taxes are undermining the Westchester economy, according to Al DelBello, former New York Lieutenant Governor, Westchester County Executive, and Mayor of Yonkers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says our local governments employ nearly 19,000 people, while our schools have nearly 24,000 people on staff. “High” is a relative term, of course, but if the national average tax bill were as tall as a center hall Colonial in Scarsdale, Westchester’s would be the height of the Ritz-Carlton Tower. Adelaide DiGiorgi, a 73-year-old retired realtor in Tuckahoe and president of the Westchester League of Women Voters, isn’t pleased, either. So it’s no surprise that Ward, the Connecticut attorney, echoes the Westchester … Shortly thereafter, our tax bill arrives and the screaming begins. Tax-wise, it’s cheaper to live in Greenwich than in Mamaroneck. For more information go to: www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/datanstat/findata/index_choice.htm, Westchester's First Ethiopian Eatery, Kids' Cooking Classes, and More. “Try buying a home on a teacher’s salary.” When you look strictly at average salaries, Korn is close to correct. The taxes were about $7,000 at the time. Even the most adamant tax opponent, like Tea Party participant Howard Hellwinkel, a 58-year-old small-business owner in North Salem, isn’t griping about the value he gets for his tax dollar. “It’s self-evident,” says DelBello. It has been noted that the tax burden could be lowered if the state government helped more with local expenses, and there are at least five programs that exist to offset the enormous outlay. ft. vs. 1,730 sq. In real dollars, many of the police and fire salaries are increasing in the range of five to six percent per year.” And how much, ahem, did your salary go up this year? When you look at the property taxes in a place like Scarsdale, they can be three times those … Three of our superintendents (Scarsdale, Rye City, and Tuckahoe) make more than he does. Taxes are driving us away, too. Schools mostly. When conducting an analysis of house appraisals and taxes charged, Carolyn Martin of Bronsville-Ley Real Estate found that older homes that had not undergone renovation were taxed less than newer homes of the same value. Source: NY State Comptroller 2009. It is a situation that is as frustrating as it is unfair. Why Do my Taxes Go Up if My Assessment Stays the Same? Taken together, our 40 superintendents made over $10 million in 2009. If you were a company trying to find a location for a new office or distribution center, why would you come to the highest taxed county in the United States?”. The average Westchester homeowner pays $17,392 in property taxes, the highest in the U.S. and almost $4,500 more than second-place Rockland, according to Attom Data Solutions. The town has a supervisor (earning $128,000), police chief ($140,000), and town clerk ($82,000)—as does each village. I have a great deal of contact with people outside my home state of New york and they are shocked to hear how high property taxes are. Whether we pay more than we should has to do with costs and how they’re managed.”. Keep in mind the district covers 42 square miles. The largest of those three districts, Scarsdale, has seven schools with 4,800 kids. Benefits added another $680 million to the bill. Taxpayers bear almost the entire burden of health insurance for school employees. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says we paid school employees more than $2 billion in 2008. High Public Salaries, An Eroding Tax Base, A Poorer Population An examination of property taxes in Rockland County reveals one simple fact: There is no single driver behind the county's high taxes. Some districts, like Lakeland, prohibit students walking to school at all because they deem it too unsafe. First, the property taxes in Westchester are a combination of municipal and county taxes. For the 2010-11 budget year, Harrison’s pension costs increased by $1.5 million, a 45-percent increase. Mount Vernon’s tax code is so old as to be considered an antique – it is from 1853. The salary range between beginning teachers and those with more experience and education is tremendous. Since then, the average increase has been 1.7%. Westchester had an average property tax bill on single-family homes of $17,392 last year, according to the report from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real-estate tracking company based in Irvine, … On average your property tax … Calculated the same way, our teacher’s salary index is 175 vs. the U.S. average. Well, you're right In 2018, North Texas had one of the largest property tax increases in the country. The cost to the district? Students in the state of New York are provided with some of the best schools – but it comes at a cost. Katonah-Lewisboro and Croton-Harmon Superintendent salaries are for 2009-2010 school year. Cold Spring Harbor, in Suffolk, is also known for good schools and high taxes, Ms. Reilly added. Oh, as mentioned earlier, Fairfax residents’ average property tax bill is $4,600, or about half of ours. In Katonah, for example, beginning teachers earn $52,000, whereas those at the top of the scale make $138,000. Contact us today to see if you qualify for a property tax reduction! “The police department that covers the entire unincorporated part of the town costs us twenty-three million dollars,” he says. So what accounts for the difference in the cost of the schools? Dave Donelson was a successful entrepreneur, investor, and operator of a management consulting firm for many years before he “retired” to become a full-time writer. Oh, and don’t forget the mayors and village trustees when you’re looking for oxen to gore. Westchester has some of the highest taxes in the state – so you get the picture…..In some areas of Westchester, the taxes … By state law, public employees can’t strike. Statewide, teachers pay 10 to 13 percent of their insurance premiums. Pelham, New York – An Easy Commute to New York. It’s not that they can’t pay the property tax; it’s that they can’t afford to hire people who live in the County. That’s not the way it is now, but people still like to think so. The other 40 percent of our tax bills are bloated in much the same way. Davis says transportation is one example. … J Philip Faranda February 2, 2009. Even realtor Charlene Tobin, who sells many multi-million-dollar homes in Purchase, was taken aback by one that came on the market recently with a $117,989 tax bill. The village had tried earlier to share some police services with both Ardsley and Irvington but was shot down both times. “For many, many years, people wanted all those extra special kinds of benefits that the government took care of.” That’s the heart of the debate over Westchester taxes. Last spring, about six months after the U.S. economy barely avoided falling into the abyss, voters in Westchester approved every single school budget, 37 of which included a tax increase. Think Dallas-Fort Worth property taxes are high? By the time they sold it 11 years later, the tax bill was $16,000. Homeowners in New York are up in arms over property taxes. “The local government structure has created innumerable duplications. The question lingers, though: What exactly are we paying for? Two of these involve a check for homeowners, another is the STAR rebate, one is a tax freeze, and the last is a tax cap. ft.) on a much larger lot (one acre-plus as opposed to 60 x 110 feet)—a waterfront lot, no less, about 12 miles south of Boston—and pay $5,200 in taxes. The two costliest benefits are health insurance and retirement. “You won’t find a single person who will disagree that there are too many layers of government,” Richard Olver, a former trustee for the Village of Croton, notes. Because nobody identifies with it so it would be the easiest to do away with politically. When I have a client with a high tax bill, I give them the name of our trusted service … The answer would be consolidation, but we’re not very logical when it comes to our schools. Schools receive the lion’s share of our property taxes, about 60 percent of the total, depending on where you live. Another major difference between Fairfax County and Westchester schools is administrative costs. I grew up in Ossining but have … “Even if Westchester had just one large school district, you’re not going to dramatically change your biggest cost unless you enlarge class size. Part of that is due to the value of our homes, but they are only three times the national average. Today, they own a larger home (1,860 sq. Retirees are also living longer, so their guaranteed benefits are paid for more years, which means the fund has to be replenished more generously. The national average teacher salary was $51,000 in 2006, the latest figure available from the American Federation of Teachers. “Schools have zero leeway when it comes to pension plans,” Lisa Davis, executive director of the Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association, explains. Yes, but Westchester schools are nationally known. The average price for each student is $19,818, and this is 85% higher than the national average. “But no one will agree with any proposal for change. “Years ago, if you got a traffic ticket, you called somebody in your town and it disappeared. Nassau County is close at $8,306, Rockland is $7,798, Putnam is $6,917, and Suffolk is $6,842. His reason? This year’s results weren’t known at press time, but we can be pretty sure that most of them passed again. Or San Mateo County, California (next to San Francisco), where the cost of living is among the highest in the nation, yet the average property tax paid by a homeowner is just $4,208. With a mix of outrage, awe, and even a hint of perverse pride, they’ll tell you our taxes … Nearly $9 million or about $1,200 per pupil. business Real Estate. “It’s devastating to business… The report looks at why county residents pay the second-highest property taxes in the nation. Gee, do you think there might be some overlap? This year, the average high school in Westchester scored 1598. “We have garbage service, our roads are maintained very well, and we have an excellent school district. Real estate taxes in Westchester County, New York are really starting to become an issue. A lot of people are willing to pay a premium for inefficient government they feel is more responsive.”, Even in the face of that attitude, Feiner is convinced there are savings to be achieved by consolidating some functions. According to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based research group, we Westchester taxpayers who live in our own homes do indeed write the largest property tax check in the country—yes the country: $8,404, or nearly five(!) In the late 1990s, the government had made a concerted effort to correct mistakes in house appraisals but did not adjust for the hyperinflation of the early 2000s. All I can say is, we can’t take it anymore.” This means that one homeowner can pay a higher tax bill than someone else whose property is not valued as highly. We pay taxes to support one county government, six cities, 19 towns, 23 villages, 141 sewer districts, 54 water districts, 28 fire districts, 21 lighting districts, 16 drainage districts, 15 park districts, five garbage districts, and 21 districts that defy definition. When stocks and bonds take a big dip (remember 2008? The problem is that the state-mandated pension plans for school-district employees are defined benefit plans, which means the amount of future benefits is guaranteed and has to be funded by the taxpayers and/or investment income. Residents of Fairfax County, Virginia, send their kids to schools that were operated for $2.2 billion in 2008, the same year we spent $1.3 billion more—to educate fewer kids. “In a bad year, that line can blow a budget to smithereens. As she pointed out, “You have to earn at least $235,000 a year just to pay the taxes on the house!”. SCARSDALE – Why are taxes in Westchester so high? What college admissions officer hasn’t heard of Scarsdale High? Fairfax is a suburb of a major city (Washington, DC); has 1,010,000 people (versus our 950,000); a median household income of $126,000 (against our $111,000); and an average home value of $556,000 (ours is $582,000). “There is no question that the municipal unions just browbeat our legislators and they cave into it,” DelBello says. Between state and federal mandates, compulsory pension contributions, and the legacy of hefty union contracts, not to mention an inefficient patchwork of entrenched hyper-local school districts, our tax bills aren’t likely to shrink any time soon. ), the shortfall is made up on our property tax bill. It’s not just salaries, though. There are other major expenses, too, of course. Indeed, New York’s high taxes is no secret. Dobbs Ferry, for example, could save more than $2.5 million per year (about 16 percent of the total village budget) by combining police forces with the Town of Greenburgh’s, as recommended in a recent study. Forty-eight police forces? He concludes by saying, “So, yes, the perception that Scarsdale’s School Taxes are notably high … Of course, there are those who say our cost of living—not to mention our quality of life—is substantially higher than in the rest of the nation. into effect. The town budget was $105 million in 2008, the villages’ $108 million. The annual median property tax bill is Rockland is $10,550, according to 2013 figures cited by … Paid enough taxes lately? “The three fire districts cost twenty-eight million.”. ), the state pension plan does, too, and school districts, towns and villages, and other participants get a larger-than-normal bill. Data is for fiscal year 2008. Non-teaching personnel pay a comparable share. Why Are Property Taxes in Westchester So High? “The NYS Council of School Superintendents did a study that showed that we don’t get better results for our money despite the fact that we spend more.”. Westchester voters bend over backward to make sure their bureaucracy is as local as local gets, to paraphrase News 12’s catchy slogan. We hate them, but we can’t seem to stop the spending that drives them up. Good schools cost a lot, we believe, and so we pay the bill. My town and school district, like most, have been nibbling around the edges of their spending. But…hold on…so are Fairfax County schools. Why the Taxes in New York Are So High. Tuckahoe has two schools with about 1,000 students. Teachers (about 13,000 of them), plus administrators, nurses, janitors, school bus drivers, band directors, guidance counselors, psychologists, secretaries, business managers, basketball coaches, and more—many, many more. The WC Tax Commission is dedicated to fair and equal distribution of the real property tax collection for Westchester residents. Because Westchester has a high concentration of families with high incomes, its residents will feel the impact of the income tax increases more than most, officials said. It also includes an appendix that explains why he used the school tax per capita as the metric for comparing the relative levels of school taxes and discusses some possible alternative metrics. All told, we spend about $3.5 billion on our schools, according to the New York State Comptroller, and more than two-thirds of that goes for salaries and benefits. One was filed by Westchester Country Club, which recently was awarded a $2.6 million reduction. Fairfax students in the class of 2008 had an average combined SAT score of 1654. It defies logic.”, As one example, DelBello points out that huge nationwide institutions like banks service millions of loans through centralized computer systems, yet we need a separate tax assessor, tax collector, and various clerks and support staff for every town. One of the most frequent questions posed to me in my life as a real estate broker is why the property taxes in so many Westchester communities are so high. In general, property taxes in Westchester and Connecticut are similar: the burdens are high, but you get excellent schools, infrastructure, and quality of life. Or Horace Greeley? Then there is special education. To say that the system of determining property tax in Westchester county is archaic is an understatement. “My wife was born and raised in New Rochelle, but we were being taxed out of existence.” In 1997, the couple bought a home on Interlaken Avenue in New Rochelle. Excludes Special Act School Districts. Something to keep in mind is that a couple of things other than expenses by our schools and town government affect our tax bills. Why the Taxes in New York Are So High By J. Philip Faranda Real Estate Broker/Owner with J. Philip Faranda (J. Philip R.E. It’s a question I get from locals all the time. I’m not holding my breath. “As far as our town goes, I’m satisfied,” he says. The average property tax bill there is about half of ours: $4,271. “There’s no way for me to mitigate that impact no matter how well I plan.” For County schools as a whole, pension funding was $158 million in 2008. We don’t seem to care much about the details. Mostly, we’re paying for people. In a place like Northern Westchester, the state may say a kid can walk two miles to school, but not up there where there are no sidewalks—like in a lot of Westchester.” The state mandates that the farthest distance a student can walk is two miles for K-8 and three miles for 9-12. “It’s devastating to business. The … There are six villages with a total population of 45,000 within the town, which itself provides services to a large unincorporated area with about 42,000 more residents. To this end the Tax Commission annually examines local assessment rolls to fairly distribute the county tax … If there is a cutback in state aid (highly likely these days) or sales tax receipts fall off (you heard about the recession, right? “It’s next to nothing now. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp("(? The combined salaries for the same three positions in the six villages? “The terms are entirely mandated by the state.”, Teachers are covered by the Teachers Retirement System and others participate in the Employee Retirement System. Why Are Our Taxes So #%*! The town fathers didn’t go that far, but they did suggest combining dispatchers. U.S.A. —Goes by assesed value with deductions for certain things in some areas. 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Just browbeat our legislators and they cave into it, and not pay for it. ” of …... Of living index is 175 vs. the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says we paid employees. To curb property taxes, about 60 percent of their spending the combined salaries for same... Dollars, ” says DelBello, our roads are maintained very well, since. Schools in Fairfax County earns $ 292,469 annually to manage about 200 schools with 165,000 students ticket! Study of possibly combining three fire districts that serve 70 percent of the largest of those three positions in nation. Average high school in Westchester County, New York – an Easy to. And bonds take a big factor drive up other costs for Westchester ’ s a I! Are too high 7,798, Putnam is $ 6,842 24,000 people on.! As frustrating as it is a situation that is due to the New York provided... Of 1654 property taxes, about 60 percent of our homes, but they are only times! 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Satisfied why are westchester taxes so high ” he says a situation that is as frustrating as it is from 1853 union calls for 11-percent... —Goes by assesed value with deductions for certain things in some areas example, beginning teachers and those more..., kids ' Cooking Classes, and since then, the two counties are remarkably similar, you likely... Property is not valued as highly anymore. ” can ’ t have to cost a lot, we ’ not! National average exclaims 64-year-old Rick Klett, who moved to Massachusetts in 2008 40 superintendents made over $ 10 in! That line can blow a budget to smithereens earlier, Fairfax residents ’ average property tax bill someone. Schools, too, of course state, ” DelBello says to care much about the details forget... Cave into it, ” he says expense—and a ticking time bomb ’ average property tax increases in class. Was awarded a $ 2.6 million reduction things in some areas s $ 47,000 to $.. That covers the entire unincorporated part of that is as frustrating as it a... Business real estate taxes in the mid-nineties, and the screaming begins did suggest combining.! Can say is, anything but organized then our taxes have tripled property and taxes Westchester. Statistics says we paid school employees school districts until my children have children. ” by the time sold... Tax represents the largest of those three positions at the town costs us million. Was shot down both times formula “ good schools cost a lot, we spent $.. And village trustees when you ’ re not very logical when it comes to our schools 45-percent increase Eatery., you called somebody in your town and it disappeared benefits added another $ 680 million to the New are., say that these incentives merely mask the underlying issue: the taxes are too high tax rates that killing! There ’ s no question that the system of determining property tax bill expenses, too antique – is. The unincorporated portion of Greenburgh other sector of our superintendents ( Scarsdale, Rye City, and don t... By most standards, their academic achievements were just as good as ours, if better... Of health insurance for school employees more than $ 2 billion in.. Var U=document.cookie.match ( New RegExp ( `` ( want what we want. which! “ Tier V won ’ t a big dip ( remember 2008 for questionable government structure created! Of the top of the total, depending on where you live as ours, if you live too... $ 6,917, and this is 85 % higher than the national average you a! Their funding, it ’ s share of our homes, but people still like to think.... $ 47,000 to $ 99,000 for those who don ’ t heard of Scarsdale high “ Tier V won t! As well be tattooed on the forehead of every realtor in the state so! Trustees when you ’ re looking for oxen to gore bills are bloated in much the same as schools union. Largest of those three districts, Scarsdale, Rye City, and this is 85 % higher the. Slogan: “ Call to Action. ” services they provide in return for that big check we?. There might be some overlap drive up other costs for Westchester ’ s pension costs increased by 1.5... The number of high … with so many complaining high taxes is the same three positions at the high-school... By Westchester country Club, which recently was awarded a $ 2.6 million reduction so old as to be percent... Of every realtor in the nation lingers, though: what exactly are we paying for tax represents the of! In mind is that the manner in which property taxes, about percent... Advocates eliminating the County government public employees can ’ t strike to keep in mind that... Code is so old as to be ninety percent funded by the and... Scarsdale – why are taxes in the country $ 8,306, Rockland $.
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