Was talking to my Mom and Stepdad today and showed them my city property tax bill for 2014 and they were shocked. We paid a hundred dollars more than they pay for their home in Albany which is assessed over double our home.
Was talking to my Mom and Stepdad today and showed them my city property tax bill for 2014 and they were shocked. We paid a hundred dollars more than they pay for their home in Albany which is assessed over double our home.
Amazing, and despite all the financial problems that the city of Albany has, it is financially better to live there.
But I'm sure the board's big cheerleader for the spending, the puppet claiming the city is in a renaissance can explain why your parents have a house double in value and still pay less taxes than Schenectady. The dem cheerleader's blood must be boiling right now as he cannot explain why an ALLEGED renaissance brings massively falling tax base and falling home values, reduced services, and drastically increased taxes.
Where is the explanation?
Go ahead and ask him, but don't hold your breath for an answer. . Cheerleaders for the wild uncontrolled spending on downtown NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER and WILL NEVER address these FACTS about the failing 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.
Anyone remember Gerry Jennings constantly complaining about the amount of tax exempt property in the city of Albany? Yet the politicians will turn around and exempt property for their cronies and tell you it's a good thing. Yet another real-life example of the abuse of the Schenectady homeowner. The local media tried really hard to obfuscate the situation, but more and more people are aware. I will repeat, when property in "bad" neighborhoods is overtaxed, you prevent any gentrification from taking place. People without enough income to buy a house in a "good" area cannot build "sweat equity" when a house is costing them as much to own and fix up, or even more, than a house in better condition in a better area. Why are the taxes in Hamilton Hill so high? In part, to fund that lavish and foolish money-grab for millionaires downtown. It's as if you went to the hospital, and they took your blood for a transfusion, leaving you sicker, to give to a wealthier patient, and then you are the one that gets charged.
It's as if you went to the hospital, and they took your blood for a transfusion, leaving you sicker, to give to a wealthier patient, and then you are the one that gets charged.
I like the analogy. It's even worse. They are taking you and your kids blood for the transfusion. Then they give it to the wealthy patient that isn't really sick, and store the blood for this patent "just in case" he needs it. Then the wealthy patient leaves the hospital for the beaches of South Florida, and takes your family's blood with him in case he needs it down there. If he doesn't use it, he'll will it to his children so they are secure, in case something happens to them. You will stay in the hospital in critical condition, receiving poor treatment, eating shitty hospital food until you finally pass. But at least you can die knowing your family blood helped a rich man and his family in becoming secure for generations to come.
Funding a renaissance is expensive. Game changer, transformational, vibrancy all big words equaling big costs.
Don't fret Lumpy and the undertaker "understand the importance of high taxes". That should come as a great relief to the 1,200 City home owners being foreclosed on. Another tax exempt gin mill so the homeowners can pay more for the many police and EMS calls. BTW, heard that both Aperitivo and Stockade Inn are tanking. Less disposable income + more tax exempt gin mills=renaissance. Also don't forget that our County taxes are 3X higher than Albany and 4X higher than Saratoga County. Called "working together".