Schenectady collects $1.7 million in back taxes

City residents faced foreclosure

Saturday, April 5, 2014


By Kathleen Moore (Contact)
Gazette Reporter  

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The Patton & Hall building located at 237 State St. in Schenectady is pictured on Friday. The building is tied up in bankruptcy proceedings, delaying foreclosure.  
Photographer:  Marc Schultz  

The Patton & Hall building located at 237 State St. in Schenectady is pictured on Friday. The building is tied up in bankruptcy proceedings, delaying foreclosure.


SCHENECTADY — Threats of foreclosure brought a flood of money to the city this spring.

Schenectady received $1.7 million in back taxes from dozens of owners who didn’t want to lose their properties.

Unfortunately, many others didn’t pay up. If every owner threatened with foreclosure had paid, the city would have collected about $4 million.

“We’re doing good. It’s not great,” said Mayor Gary McCarthy.

The city was dealt one particular disappointment when the owner of 237 State St. filed for bankruptcy. That delays, but does not invalidate, foreclosure proceedings.

The building is a partially burned structure on lower State Street in the middle of the block that city officials plan to revitalize this year. It’s the only building on the block for which there are no development plans.

McCarthy said city officials thought they would be able to finally do something with the building because the city would own it through foreclosure.

“Now he’s filed for bankruptcy. That building will sit there. It slows the whole process. How do you show someone a building, ask them to make a $10 million investment, next to that?” McCarthy said. “It becomes so frustrating to deal with that.”

The issue is particularly frustrating because National Grid shut off power to the building, but someone installed a fake meter head and ran electric cords inside, McCarthy said. That led to a fire, and since the owner had no fire insurance, the building has been left unrepaired.

The owner owes the city about $120,000 in unpaid taxes.

But McCarthy is pleased by the $1.7 million in taxes that were paid. He plans to continue the strategy of sending out foreclosure notices every year. The notices refer to the taxes owed from the previous two years.

“It’s a slow, methodical process,” he said. “There’s no quick fixes.”

In the bureau of receipts, city workers can now accept partial payments and even help residents create payment plans.

“We’ll help them set up their own payment plan,” said bureau Supervisor Ed Waterfield. “We tell people, ‘Don’t wait until you have it all.’ We charge 21 percent interest and the interest does add up quick.”

After the foreclosure notices went out, he said, a number of owners asked him to determine how much they must pay per week to pay off their debt before the foreclosure deadline.

“A bunch of people paid periodically,” he said. “A lot of people were scrambling.”

McCarthy said the city wouldn’t foreclose on those who were paying regularly and had made a large dent in their debt.

“People who are acting in good faith, we try to work with them, if they’re consistent,” he said.

But he added that most of the owners were absentee landlords who routinely ignore their tax bills.

“If everybody pays their taxes, there would be an across-the-board 10 percent tax cut,” he said.

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2014/apr/05/0405_taxes/

But he added that most of the owners were absentee landlords who routinely ignore their tax bills.

“If everybody pays their taxes, there would be an across-the-board 10 percent tax cut,” he said.



Here is where McThug gets it wrong again and again! Absentee landlords aka (Guyanese) are not the problem it is the high taxes, fees, low life tenants (section 8, DSS), City court eviction system, code enforcement, landlord registry, rental certificate increases and McThugs hostile attitude and policy toward real estate investors is the cause for these owners not to pay or can't afford to pay their taxes. There will never be a 10% tax cut McThug because your giving away tax payers dollars at a rate of $500,000 to the Galesi Group. How can we get a tax cut when your spending all our tax dollars on multi millionaires? This McThug is out of touch with Schenectady residents! There will never be a 10% tax cut because that will result in layoffs and we all know McThug is brainwashed and bought out by the workers unions he will never do mass layoffs to actually give residents a tax cut.

I applaud the property owners who did not pay their taxes! Good for you! Does the City give property owners an incentive to pay their taxes?? Pot hole roads, no neighborhood developments, bad schools, high crime, police takes 2 hours to come to the scene, police cars hiding in Steinmetz Park milking overtime, city hall workers disrespect residents, garbage truck worker has an accident every week the list goes on and on. I encourage more people to stop paying their taxes let the Democrats declare bankruptcy and take us down the road to Detroit! McThug wants absentee landlords aka (Guyanese) to pay taxes so he can take their money and give it to the non tax paying millionaire cronies to waste on shiny new buildings downtown. In return McThug gets a kickback from all the deals he cuts with the developers around his elections. Sorry McThug absentee landlords are also savy business people and they know your game too well! Hence, the 4 million dollar crap hole your sitting in McThug!

Absentee property owners/landlords ARE the problem.  The property owner/landlord has the LEGAL OBLIGATION to pay his or her property tax bill.  If everyone else can pay their taxes on time, there is no reason for absentee property owners/landowners to be given a free pass by the Nayboobs.  
It was very clearly stated that if EVERYONE paid their taxes (including back taxes) the property tax rate would drop 10%.   Clearly - and only a fool would argue otherwise - then it is obvious that absentee property owners/landlords are a HUGE problem.    

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

It was very clearly stated that if EVERYONE paid their taxes (including back taxes) the property tax rate would drop 10%.  

as if only....lol....seems like its unicorn and rainbow time!                

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Absentee property owners/landlords ARE the problem.  The property owner/landlord has the LEGAL OBLIGATION to pay his or her property tax bill.  If everyone else can pay their taxes on time, there is no reason for absentee property owners/landowners to be given a free pass by the Nayboobs.  
It was very clearly stated that if EVERYONE paid their taxes (including back taxes) the property tax rate would drop 10%.   Clearly - and only a fool would argue otherwise - then it is obvious that absentee property owners/landlords are a HUGE problem.    

If the group if gangsters stopped "legally" stealing money from the residential property owners to give millionaires and downtown businesses tax breaks, exemptions, grants, and loans, but instead applied taxes EQUALLY...Maybe everybody would pay a more equally applied tax.  

Let the city put leans on the property and manage the crumbling residential area of the city.  Watch that bond rating drop!

Nothing gives me more satisfaction than watching central planning FAIL.

Quoted from CICERO

If the group if gangsters stopped "legally" stealing money from the residential property owners to give millionaires and downtown businesses tax breaks, exemptions, grants, and loans, but instead applied taxes EQUALLY...Maybe everybody would pay a more equally applied tax.  

Let the city put leans on the property and manage the crumbling residential area of the city.  Watch that bond rating drop!

Nothing gives me more satisfaction than watching central planning FAIL.

EVERY property owner has the legal responsibility to pay his/her property taxes.  If EVERY property pwner paid his/her taxes - as most do - than the municipalities would not have to spend tens of thousands of dollars tracking down the dead beats and absentee owners.  The absentee owners cause other problems as well - which end up costing the rest of the taxpayers more money.
You seem to side with the dead beats and absentee owners.  It is not surprising that you have no respect for the law or for your fellow citizens.  

Quoted from sanfordy2

as if only....lol....seems like its unicorn and rainbow time!                

I guess you side with the dead beats and absentee landlords, too.  Not surprising.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

You seem to side with the dead beats and absentee owners.  It is not surprising that you have no respect for the law or for your fellow citizens.  

Yup, I stand up for those deadbeats who don't have money or influence to buy politicians and dictate local tax policy and give themselves tax exemptions.  It's the millionaires that use the cover of "legal" tax exemptions whose only respect for the law are the laws they pay for that will benefit their bottom line.

Quoted from firefox

But he added that most of the owners were absentee landlords who routinely ignore their tax bills.

“If everybody pays their taxes, there would be an across-the-board 10 percent tax cut,” he said.



Here is where McThug gets it wrong again and again! Absentee landlords aka (Guyanese) are not the problem it is the high taxes, fees, low life tenants (section 8, DSS), City court eviction system, code enforcement, landlord registry, rental certificate increases and McThugs hostile attitude and policy toward real estate investors is the cause for these owners not to pay or can't afford to pay their taxes. There will never be a 10% tax cut McThug because your giving away tax payers dollars at a rate of $500,000 to the Galesi Group. How can we get a tax cut when your spending all our tax dollars on multi millionaires? This McThug is out of touch with Schenectady residents! There will never be a 10% tax cut because that will result in layoffs and we all know McThug is brainwashed and bought out by the workers unions he will never do mass layoffs to actually give residents a tax cut.

there are NEVER tax cuts.....let's see the history of government/municipal tax cuts...hahahahahahahahahahaha.......

there are 'coupons' like STAR......it's a shell game

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

EVERY property owner has the legal responsibility to pay his/her property taxes.

So what about Mr Morris who illegally claimed TWO Star exemptions on different properties .. does that make him a deadbeat?

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I guess you side with the dead beats and absentee landlords, too.  Not surprising.

lol!! could be...what a laugh!!  


10% tax reduction?

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Absentee property owners/landlords ARE the problem.  The property owner/landlord has the LEGAL OBLIGATION to pay his or her property tax bill. If everyone else can pay their taxes on time, there is no reason for absentee property owners/landowners to be given a free pass by the Nayboobs.  
It was very clearly stated that if EVERYONE paid their taxes (including back taxes) the property tax rate would drop 10%.   Clearly - and only a fool would argue otherwise - then it is obvious that absentee property owners/landlords are a HUGE problem.    

But YOU, DV, FAIL to understand that there are many many many owner occupants that CANNOT PAY their taxes on time!!!!!   Why do you REFUS to accept that!!!   Many are losing their homes because they CANNOT AFFORD to pay the taxes of the multimillionaire political cronies of the dems.

Of course YOU REFUSE to explain WHY homeowners in the city with the typical $40,000 a year as a TOTAL household income should be expected to pay the taxes of the multibillionaire Galesi.   Why should they DV??????  

Galesi is rich enough to pay the property and school taxes of the whole city of Schenectady for ten years AND he could still leave a multimillion dollar legacy for each one of his own descendants for at least 10 generations to come and probably more.


And if downtown political cronies of the dems paid THEIR taxes. then the city could drop the taxes by 20%   !!!!!!!

Quoted from HarryP

So what about Mr Morris who illegally claimed TWO Star exemptions on different properties .. does that make him a deadbeat?

YES!

Hey, DV, please explain why your buddy King Philip of Proctors with his almost quarter million dollar taxpayer=paid salary can't pay his taxes on his city house on time????????


Well DV?????    Anwer??????     We all know, TOTAL SILENCE, DV wil,l NOT address that TURTH

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Absentee property owners/landlords ARE the problem.

  Clearly - and only a fool would argue otherwise - then it is obvious that absentee property owners/landlords are a HUGE problem.    

AH YES!   DV, you are SOOOOOOO RIGHT !!!!

The BIGGEST ABSENTEE owners are as follows:

Franceso Galesi

the Hilton family

the head of Paul Mitchell hair salon

the Mallozzi family

the Marcella family

King Philip of Proctors

The ownenrs of Mexican restaurant


That's a start