New use for old house Nonprofit group wants to use former firehouse as a program training center By Lauren Stanforth Published 9:09 p.m., Sunday, August 5, 2012
SCHENECTADY — A historic city firehouse on Brandywine Avenue is getting a new owner after more than a year on the market.
Northeast Parent and Child Society is slated to buy the two-story brick structure for $50,000 and move a new contractor training program into the space.
City Council is expected to review the deal at its committee meeting Monday night.
Northeast, a nonprofit that provides programs for low-income and troubled youth, wants to make the firehouse at 219 Brandywine Ave. the headquarters for its new Home Energy Connection program, in which people ages 18 to 24 years old can learn weatherization and energy-efficiency techniques to take with them for future contracting jobs.
And just watch DV to post how wonderful another non-taxpaying property is for the city
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
"City Zoning Officer Steven Strichman said that while the 5,576-square-foot firehouse is zoned residential, Northeast would only need a special use permit from the planning commission to operate it as a nonprofit enterprise.
Strichman said the city only received one credible offer since the firehouse was put up for sale a year ago – someone who wanted to run a landscaping company. But, because it was a for-profit business, the purchaser was dissuaded because of approvals that would have been needed for zoning board passage."
Riiiiggghhhhhtttt.....let's just make it that much easier for the non-profits to set up camp in the City...but the honest-for-profit-business...let's send them packing.
Really Schenectady?? Is this how asinine you are? No wonder the tax base is sinking into a blackhole!!
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Strichman said the city only received one credible offer since the firehouse was put up for sale a year ago – someone who wanted to run a landscaping company. But, because it was a for-profit business, the purchaser was dissuaded because of approvals that would have been needed for zoning board passage."
Riiiiggghhhhhtttt.....let's just make it that much easier for the non-profits to set up camp in the City...but the honest-for-profit-business...let's send them packing. Really Schenectady?? Is this how asinine you are? No wonder the tax base is sinking into a blackhole!!
The same nonprofits that kicked a hi tech company from Downtown taking more Downtown property off the tax rolls. Then the DEM morons wonder why the tax assessments is nose diving. Keep the DEM implosion going! Bring on bankruptcy the we have suffered long enough.
SCHENECTADY Northeast to pay taxes on fi rehouse Brandywine building to be used for training BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.
The city will get full payment of taxes from a nonprofit agency on a property that has never been on the tax rolls. Northeast Parent & Child Society was willing to pay $50,000 last week to buy the former Brandywine fi rehouse, which would become the headquarters for a new youth training program. But at the last minute, City Councilman Carl Erikson objected to the sale because a tax-paying business had also put in a bid. Given the city’s financial crisis, he said he’d rather sell the building to a taxpayer than to a nonprofi t group. “I wanted to get revenue,” he explained. City officials quickly negotiated with Northeast last week and the agency agreed to pay $1,800 in taxes each year. That’s the tax bill it would get for a building assessed at about $84,000, Northeast spokesman Eugene White said. The firehouse had been assessed last year at $186,000 but needs significant repairs and did not receive any purchase bids for more than $50,000. The city agreed to lower the assessment to $84,000 and tax Northeast on that amount. Erikson was satisfi ed. “That’s really what I’m looking for,” he said. “That’s what I wanted.” ‘WE BELIEVE IN SCHENECTADY’ White said the firehouse is critically important to the success of the new weatherization and energy efficiency youth program. Young adults, ages 18 to 24, will learn that work at the firehouse, practicing in a training center upstairs. They will then be hired to perform work on homes. It is an extension of the Youth Build program, which teaches young adults construction skills. The goal for both programs is to reduce unemployment for young adults. White added that Northeast was more than willing to pay taxes “because we believe in Schenectady and we believe in being a responsible part of the city.” The agency has agreed to payments in lieu of taxes for other city property. ............................>>>>....................>>>>......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01100&AppName=1
From the minutes of the Metroplex October 20, 2010 meeting:
"5. Northeast Parent and Child Project: Resolution 671-10 — Adopt the General Project Plan
Northeast Parent and Child Society, located at 530 Franklin Street, is renovating the entire first floor of its agency headquarters to house its new Career Development Center, which will assist at-risk youth with gaining needed skills, finding and maintaining well-paying jobs. Schenectady County secured a $750,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Small Cities to help finance the project. Metroplex participation involves a mortgage recording tax exemption resulting in a project savings of about $9,375. Mr. Wall moved Resolution 671-10; seconded by Mr. Saccocio. Following brief discussion, Resolution 671-10 was unanimously approved. "
Just the taxpayers paying AGAIN for this Firehouse. Wow, paying $1,600 taxes (of taxpayer-funded-grant-money) "because we believe in the City". HAHAHAHAH!
They will just get anextra taxpayer grant from the county or state and viola! The money will flow right through!
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Riiiiggghhhhhtttt.....let's just make it that much easier for the non-profits to set up camp in the City...but the honest-for-profit-business...let's send them packing. !
Give it to the homeless. They don't make a profit.
From the minutes of the Metroplex October 20, 2010 meeting:
"5. Northeast Parent and Child Project: Resolution 671-10 — Adopt the General Project Plan
Northeast Parent and Child Society, located at 530 Franklin Street, is renovating the entire first floor of its agency headquarters to house its new Career Development Center, which will assist at-risk youth with gaining needed skills, finding and maintaining well-paying jobs. Schenectady County secured a $750,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Small Cities to help finance the project. Metroplex participation involves a mortgage recording tax exemption resulting in a project savings of about $9,375. Mr. Wall moved Resolution 671-10; seconded by Mr. Saccocio. Following brief discussion, Resolution 671-10 was unanimously approved. "
Just the taxpayers paying AGAIN for this Firehouse. Wow, paying $1,600 taxes (of taxpayer-funded-grant-money) "because we believe in the City". HAHAHAHAH!
From the minutes of the Metroplex October 20, 2010 meeting:
"5. Northeast Parent and Child Project: Resolution 671-10 — Adopt the General Project Plan
Northeast Parent and Child Society, located at 530 Franklin Street, is renovating the entire first floor of its agency headquarters to house its new Career Development Center, which will assist at-risk youth with gaining needed skills, finding and maintaining well-paying jobs. Schenectady County secured a $750,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Small Cities to help finance the project. Metroplex participation involves a mortgage recording tax exemption resulting in a project savings of about $9,375. Mr. Wall moved Resolution 671-10; seconded by Mr. Saccocio. Following brief discussion, Resolution 671-10 was unanimously approved. "
Just the taxpayers paying AGAIN for this Firehouse. Wow, paying $1,600 taxes (of taxpayer-funded-grant-money) "because we believe in the City". HAHAHAHAH!
Another nonprofit? lol. Death Ray has repeatedly stated he doesn't sell to nonprofits who take property permanently off the tax rolls. This is another disgrace for McCheese and Death Ray. Private business people were chased off by the insane DEM moron taxes. NE Parent has taken a Franklin St building off the tax rolls. They should be contracting not expanding.
Taxes, Fees, and PILOTs (Payments in Lieu of Taxes) -A+A
Read our special edition of Nonprofit Advocacy Matters, 2011 Top Ten State and Local Policy Issues, to learn about the new trend among many state and local governments toward policies and practices involving taxes fees, and PILOTs that threaten the missions of nonprofits.
Why It Matters to Nonprofits The nonprofit community recognizes the budget challenges that state and local governments are facing; we experience them every day. Like governments, nonprofits are struggling to maintain services to their communities. In so doing, they earn their tax exemptions every day. Governments cannot impose new taxes and fees on nonprofit organizations without diminishing the impact that the nonprofits have in their communities. As a nonprofit leader in Minnesota said: "Nonprofits have tax exemption for a reason — they provide service to the community that lessens the burden on government. We are partners with government and the community. But as these additional fees and assessments get assigned, it comes out of our donated dollars and resources." Below is a list of challenges to the work of nonprofits across the US. For even more up-to-date information on taxes, fees, and PILOTs, view the newest edition of Nonprofit Advocacy Matters.
Current Issues: Read about how taxes, fees, and PILOTs are affecting nonprofits arcoss the United States. Taxes Fees PILOTs Special Report New Property, Sales, and Other Taxes New Orleans, Louisiana: Mayor Mitch Landrieu abandoned efforts to alter the state constitution to allow the city to impose property taxes on nonprofits. City officials warned, however, that they plan to study the issue further and expand the inquiry to other Louisiana municipalities. Shortly before the Mayor’s decision, the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations published the results of its New Orleans Nonprofit Property Tax Exemption Survey that highlighted the negative consequences that the proposal would impose on nonprofits and those they serve. Maine: Governor LePage vetoed a bill that would have exempted nonprofit performing arts groups from paying sales taxes. “Performing-arts organizations are important to the cultural fabric of Maine. However, simply because something is good does not mean it should enjoy tax-free status. Exemptions from the sales tax should be saved for the necessities of life — food, shelter, medicine — as well as for important initiatives meant to foster growth and create good paying jobs in Maine industries, increasing our overall tax base,” wrote Governor LePage in his veto letter. Of the $45,000 in annual revenue that the tax is projected to provide to the state, as much as $16,000 comes from just one performing arts organization, the Maine State Music Theatre. Montana: A committee performing an interim study on nonprofit exemptions from property, corporate, and other taxes has agreed to table the study, recommending that a summary concluding document be provided at the next committee meeting. Camden, New Jersey: The City of Camden acted unlawfully when it sought to impose property taxes on nonprofit day care facilities and others, according to the state tax court. As a result, the city is being ordered to reinstate property tax exemptions for the nonprofits and pay court costs. North Carolina: Local leaders have proposed placing a cap on the amount of sales tax refunds certain nonprofits can receive (25 percent for a request that exceeds $1 million). North Dakota: On June 12, voters turned down a proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate the state’s property taxes, although the ultimate impact on nonprofit tax exemption is unclear. At least one State Senator wants nonprofits to pay for police and other city and county services. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Senate leaders have introduced a constitutional amendment that gives the Legislature say over which organizations qualify as tax exempt. The proposal is intended to override a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision denying the property-tax exemption of a religious camp on the grounds that it did not relieve a burden of government, a requirement under the Commonwealth Constitution. The ruling raised questions about the scope and validity of Act 55, the 1997 law that provided criteria to prevent haphazard interpretations of the Constitution and provide clarity and certainty in determining which organizations are eligible for tax exemptions. Scranton, Pennsylvania: The City Council has instructed tax assessors to determine the value of tax-exempt properties in the community, and to report on whether certain nonprofit-owned vacant properties or properties used for non-exempt purposes should be subject to taxation. City leaders have indicated that they intend to seek voluntary payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) from large nonprofit property holders if new tax revenues are not sufficient to prevent the city from entering bankruptcy. Rhode Island: The Senate Majority Leader has announced that he is introducing a bill to allow municipalities to tax educational institutions and hospitals 25 percent of what they would pay in property taxes if they were not tax exempt. The proposal would also completely remove tax exemptions on properties those nonprofits use to produce income by means other than providing educational and healthcare services. Richmond, Virginia: Nonprofits could focus more on their missions if the city council decides to remove a moratorium placed on nonprofit property tax exemptions in 2007 to help pay for police, fire, and trash services. Reinstatement of the deduction would cost city government $199,500, but return that same amount to the community. “It seems like this money can be better used by the nonprofits in the furtherance of their missions rather than being collected and redistributed by the city,” said a councilman who is cosponsoring the change. Washington: A bill that would create expiration dates for more than 200 tax exemptions, including nonprofit exemptions from taxes on sales, memberships, and fundraising revenues, effectively died in the State Legislature. Tacoma, Washington: The City Council rejected a proposal to place a five percent ticket tax on nonprofit museums, theaters, and performing arts groups, citing concerns that the proposal unfairly targeted a few nonprofits. However, the council recently approved a proposal to reduce the business tax exemption for nonprofit health care providers. New Fees & Charges Chicago, Illinois: The city is eliminating water fee waivers that have benefitted some local nonprofits for several generations. The nonprofit fee waivers – which were not automatic, but provided at the discretion of individual aldermen – will be phased out over the next three years, with smaller nonprofits (defined as organizations with assets worth $250 million or less) receiving a 60 percent discount in 2012, a 20 percent break in 2014 and no discount on water fees by 2015. Among the nonprofits most affected by the changes is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, which expects its schools and parishes in the city to see costs increase by an average of $10,000 or more each from the water fees. New York City: A bill introduced earlier this year would block a recent effort by the Department of Sanitation to extract $17 million from the work of the city’s nonprofits by requiring them to pay garbage service fees. The recently approved budget for New York City also includes a plan to charge nonprofit organizations a garbage collection fee that is estimated to raise $17.2 million in revenue. Canyonville, Oregon: A nonprofit school is challenging in court a city ordinance that provides “churches, schools, and non-profits like our local YMCA and a non-profit senior residence will be charged double the normal water rates and substantially elevated sewage fees.” The city says the fee in lieu of taxes is necessary to cover the costs of police and fire protection. Greenwood, South Carolina: The city council approved an agreement to accept an alternative proposal from three entities rather than placing a business license tax on nonprofits that charge fees for services (such as church daycare and pre-school facilities, hospitals, and community health centers) and sell goods to the public (potentially including rummage sales and second-hand stores that fund program operations). Berkley County, West Virginia: A councilmember is floating a proposal to require nonprofits and churches to begin paying fire service fees, arguing that it will avoid shifting costs to residents and businesses. Shawano, Wisconsin: The city plans to bill a local church for curb removal, a service the city usually provides for free. The committee responsible for overseeing the construction work is now questioning whether tax-exempt entities should be allowed to receive such services without payment. Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) Hartford, Connecticut: Certain city leaders are seeking PILOT agreements with larger nonprofit property owners to close the city’s budget shortfall. Belmont, Massachusetts: Belmont leaders have sent letters requesting a total of $530,000 in PILOTs from the town’s 38 nonprofits. And farther west in Eau Claire (WI), one local official has proposed imposing PILOTs or fees on nonprofits that she asserts can afford to pick up the city’s tab. Boston, Massachusetts: Despite a state law that exempts charitable nonprofits from property taxes, Boston’s nonprofits have contributed $9.4 million in PILOTs to the city since July 2011, after the city mailed simulated tax bills to charitable organizations that own property worth more than $15 million. Eighteen nonprofits, including the New England Aquarium, the Museum of Science, and Suffolk University, have refused to give any cash to the government, noting that they already provide various benefits to the city. Haverhill, Massachusetts: The City Council of Haverhill is also considering a similar proposal to require some nonprofits to pay PILOTs worth 25 percent of their non-existent property taxes. Jamaica Plain, Massachusett: Jamaica Plain officials may directly impose on nonprofits Boston-like PILOTs that are worth 25 percent of their would-be property tax bills. Lowell, Massachusetts: The City Council voted 7-0 to seek home-rule power from the Massachusetts Legislature enabling it to charge some tax-exempt property owners 25 percent of the equivalent residential property tax bill. Churches and governmental entities would be exempt. The measure is being pushed by the Lowell City Manager, who is also chair of the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s fiscal policy committee. Weymouth, Massachusetts : Weymouth leaders may create a task force to consider what some local nonprofit should be expected to pay. New Jersey: State and city officials in New Jersey are calling for the creation of a task force to examine how best to collect PILOTs from nonprofits. Downe Township, New Jersey: Not all PILOTs come from nonprofits; Downe is asking state leaders to restore and make permanent the state’s PILOT funding to recoup lost tax revenues due to large “Open Space” designations in their community that benefit all in New Jersey, not just Downe residents. The Township had been one of the four largest recipients of funds from PILOTs before 2010, receiving $380,000 from the state. Red Bank, New Jersey: The mayor is asking state legislators to back a bill that would charge nonprofits payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) for purchasing any additional land that is currently on the tax rolls. Reading, Pennsylvania: The Mayor of Reading has taken up a new plan for how to get nonprofits to contribute more to help fill the city’s budget holes. After sending letters to local nonprofits requesting voluntary payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) in April, the Mayor is now asking nonprofits to perform a sort of service in lieu of taxes. The city is looking to as many as 240 organizations to participate in 100 cleanups or to adopt blocks or parks to keep clean. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The property tax exemption for nonprofits in Pittsburgh is under assault on multiple fronts as government officials seek payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) to help fill significant budget deficits. The City Council has grudgingly given preliminary approval to a plan authorizing the city to receive $5.3 million in payments from the Public Service Fund on behalf of a consortium of larger nonprofits in the area. Previous agreements for voluntary contributions from nonprofits to the city expired on December 31 of 2011. Scranton, Pennsylvania: A little more than a month after the Scranton City Council instructed tax assessors to calculate the value of tax-exempt properties, officials from the city’s three taxing bodies have begun meeting to discuss prospects for seeking PILOTs from local college, university, and nonprofit groups. Providence, Rhode Island: The Mayor of Providence is backing a bill that would allow the city to charge certain nonprofits 25 percent of the property taxes they would pay if they were not tax exempt. Making special exceptions for nonprofit hospitals, the Mayor has also said that these organizations may be given a deal in which they are allowed to take over government-provided services instead of making payments to the city. After repeated prodding and threats from local officials, Brown University announced that it will pay the city of Providence $31.5 million over the next eleven years. Memphis, Tennessee: Memphis City Council members focused on the value and impact of nonprofits in the community and voted to ask, not tell, nonprofits to consider contributing directly to the financial health of the city. The position of the nonprofit community was clear. “No one in government should feel embarrassed about asking nonprofits to help in new or expanded ways,” wrote Nancy McGee of the Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence, the association of nonprofits in Memphis. She added, “At the same time, no local nonprofit organizations should feel in any way compelled, as has been the case in cities like Boston and Pittsburgh, to divert essential and needed resources away from their missions of improving life in Memphis.” Madison, Wisconsin: The Mayor of Madison is creating a task force to study voluntary payments from nonprofits based on their would-be property tax values. The task force reportedly will be made up of representatives from the City Council as well as the nonprofit and private sectors. Council of Nonprofits Special Report: State Budgets Threaten Nonprofits As state governments across the country grapple with severe budget deficits, many are placing extraordinary burdens on nonprofits. The National Council of Nonprofits released a special report, State Budget Crises: Ripping the Safety Net Held by Nonprofits, documenting how states are delaying contract payments to their nonprofit partners, slashing funds for essential programs, and imposing new fees and taxes on 501(c)(3) organizations. The report encourages leaders of governments, foundations, and nonprofits to work together to address challenges posed by state budget crises.
What Nonprofits Can Do Find your State Association and get involved to address these and other developing issues in your state. Tell your organization’s story and explain the impact that losing your tax exemption would have on your ability to meet your mission.
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
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The same nonprofits that kicked a hi tech company from Downtown taking more Downtown property off the tax rolls. Then the DEM morons wonder why the tax assessments is nose diving. Keep the DEM implosion going! Bring on bankruptcy the we have suffered long enough.
