An eye-opener for every homeowner in the city.  They should all read very carefully to see what the mayor and metroplex are doing to them.

Quoted Text

Schools chief concerned about negative tax cap  

  ZACHARY MATSON Gazette Reporter  

Schenectady school officials are predicting they will have little wiggle room, or none at all, for increasing the district’s tax levy next year.

Schools Superintendent Laurence Spring told the school board last month that he was concerned the district may have a “negative tax cap” after adding its exclusions to what is expected to be a low base tax cap across the state.  

...

Negative tax caps are possible for districts that ... received payments in lieu of taxes, PILOTs, from businesses that cut deals with local economic development groups, like Schenectady County’s Metroplex Development Authority.

...

“A negative cap is pretty difficult for any district to deal with … ” Spring said ...

...

When a district receives new PILOT funds, its tax cap decreases; when the PILOT expires, the district’s tax cap rebounds, according to the report.  

“If you get a new PILOT then it would make sense that the taxpayers should have their bill go down to reflect that,” Peters said.

But the revenue from PILOTs is often lower than what a district would expect to receive if a business paid property taxes, and school boards are left out of negotiations on the economic development deals, according to the New York State School Boards Association.

...

Just like the tax cap is on the LEVY instead of the tax BILL, and the fact that the mayor and metroplex are giving out these PILOTS left and right to their cronies is causing major problems in the city.

Also if a property has a PILOT and then does some expansion is the PILOT renegotiated?

If a business invests $2 or 3 or more million dollars in a project that increases the value of the property, creates jobs and creates foot/other traffic into a section of the city ... that IMPROVES the city in so many ways.  Eventually, the city will receive MORE property tax revenue because of the improvements - even if the full dollar amount is postponed by the PILOT.

On the other hand - NOT granting the PILOT and, therefore, NOT doing the project will cause major problems -- no new jobs, no no increase of the property value, no increase in foot/other traffic in the community, not one penny more of additional property tax or other (PILOT) revenue --- and the building or lot will remain VACANT.

The naysayers will continue to whine and complain but the REALITY is that Schenectady city and county IS improving.  They just don't get it - as far as economic development or much of anything is concerned.   PILOTS and Metroplex investments have helped to create this positive momentum in our community.  We must not turn back to the failed thinking of the nayboobs and incompetent sheisters who ran the city and county 15 years ago.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

On the other hand - NOT granting the PILOT and, therefore, NOT doing the project will cause major problems -- no new jobs, no no increase of the property value, no increase in foot/other traffic in the community, not one penny more of additional property tax or other (PILOT) revenue --- and the building or lot will remain VACANT.

The naysayers will continue to whine and complain but the REALITY is that Schenectady city and county IS improving.  They just don't get it - as far as economic development or much of anything is concerned.   PILOTS and Metroplex investments have helped to create this positive momentum in our community.  We must not turn back to the failed thinking of the nayboobs and incompetent sheisters who ran the city and county 15 years ago.

The FACT is, and the EVIDENCE PROVES you are WRONG.  


Please explain how the pilots are increasing the tax base?????    How come the tax base is FALLING CONSISTENTLY EACH AND EVERY YEAR.  Can you answer that question?

And if the pilots are helping the tax base as you claim, please explain why the taxes on the homeowners increase every year (well, except in election years)   Can you answer that question?

Look at Quirky, granted, they are not a property owner so the pilot is not an issue to them, but still, here came a business with it's hand out for taxpayer money and please respond why they have only about 25% of the employees that were promised.   AND they are NOT jobs with an income on which people can buy houses in the city.


You claim the city is improving.  HOW?   Most importantly FOR WHOM?   The homeowners have gotten socked with massively falling home values (the mayor REFUSES to obey the laws of the state of NY and make ALL assessments the SAME UNIFORM percent of value), the homeowners have gotten socked with substantially higher tax bills, homeowners have seen a reduction in essential services (less filling potholes, elimination of proper snow plowing, a city which does not cite properties for failing to clear snow from sidewalks to name a FEW), the ignoring of Central Park (no more ice skating, the city totally ignored the baseball diamond, totally ignored the tennis stadium, the city closes the pool three weeks before the end of summer), Schenectady has the highest crime as I'm sure you've read.  

Even the Christmas parade, it used to attract over 60,000 people and now it's only a paltry 20,000.


So explain HOW the city is improving.   Can you address that DV?   Please list how things are better for the HOMEOWNERS.

Naturally, we know you will NOT list what the homeowners are getting in return for the mayor stealing from them to give to downtown.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

If a business invests $2 or 3 or more million dollars in a project that increases the value of the property, creates jobs and creates foot/other traffic into a section of the city ... that IMPROVES the city in so many ways.  Eventually, the city will receive MORE property tax revenue because of the improvements - even if the full dollar amount is postponed by the PILOT.

On the other hand - NOT granting the PILOT and, therefore, NOT doing the project will cause major problems -- no new jobs, no no increase of the property value, no increase in foot/other traffic in the community, not one penny more of additional property tax or other (PILOT) revenue --- and the building or lot will remain VACANT.

The naysayers will continue to whine and complain but the REALITY is that Schenectady city and county IS improving.  They just don't get it - as far as economic development or much of anything is concerned.   PILOTS and Metroplex investments have helped to create this positive momentum in our community.  We must not turn back to the failed thinking of the nayboobs and incompetent sheisters who ran the city and county 15 years ago.

what you just said is the 'theory' behind granting pilots and tax exemptions.

however...the only property values that 'may' be increasing are the ones with the pilots.....not the surrounding properties.

in fact housing values are declining, as the same with basic services and taxes are rising.

and yes while downtown looks pretty....the truth of the matter is, the rest of the city and now parts of the entire county are sh!tholes....or becoming one.

so who has actually benefited from these pilots?

Quoted from bumblethru

what you just said is the 'theory' behind granting pilots and tax exemptions.

however...the only property values that 'may' be increasing are the ones with the pilots.....not the surrounding properties.

in fact housing values are declining, as the same with basic services and taxes are rising.

and yes while downtown looks pretty....the truth of the matter is, the rest of the city and now parts of the entire county are sh!tholes....or becoming one.

so who has actually benefited from these pilots?

Exactly what I've been saying for years and years.   And no matter how much DV claims pilots help, we ask him to show evidence, we ask him to explain why the pilots are NOT causing an increase in the tax base but causing it to decline big time, which then causes the tax BILLS on the homeowners to increase, but he just will not explain his "theory."

And now, MORE EVIDENCE that these pilots are causing more problems for the homeowners.  It will probably be that with a negative tax cap, the school district will end up exceeding it, homeowners will lose out on the rebate, and the downtown developers will be laughing all the way to the bank.

I can't help it if nayboobs can't understand that if it were not for PILOTS and Metroplex that there would have been NO improvements Downtown and in other parts of the City-County of Schenectady.  Add to that the bursting of the real estate bubble which LOWERED PROPERTY VALUES for both residential and commercial properties ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY - and any reasonable person of average intelligence would understand that without PILOTS and Metroplex things would be very bleak for our city.
Unfortunately, nayboobs are blinded by their hatred and refuse to acknowledge ANYTHING that happened positively in our community.
  

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I can't help it if nayboobs can't understand that if it were not for PILOTS and Metroplex that there would have been NO improvements Downtown and in other parts of the City-County of Schenectady.  Add to that the bursting of the real estate bubble which LOWERED PROPERTY VALUES for both residential and commercial properties ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY - and any reasonable person of average intelligence would understand that without PILOTS and Metroplex things would be very bleak for our city.
Unfortunately, nayboobs are blinded by their hatred and refuse to acknowledge ANYTHING that happened positively in our community.
  

first and foremost...this had nothing to do with 'hatred'...for me. that is a stretch at best.

i agree that home values have declined country wide since the realestate bubble.

but their taxes haven't increased at the rate of schenectady's....coupled with less in services.

schenectady is the highest in nys!!!

personally....i don't have a horse in this race....so i don't give a rat's a$$ either way.

But this pilot/tax exemption 'theory' has been tried many times in the country....some with success for both businesses and homeowners....some are a failure.

schenectady is a failure since it has not been a success for BOTH businesses and homeowners.

Quoted from bumblethru

first and foremost...this had nothing to do with 'hatred'...for me. that is a stretch at best.

i agree that home values have declined country wide since the realestate bubble.

but their taxes haven't increased at the rate of schenectady's....coupled with less in services.

schenectady is the highest in nys!!!

personally....i don't have a horse in this race....so i don't give a rat's a$$ either way.

But this pilot/tax exemption 'theory' has been tried many times in the country....some with success for both businesses and homeowners....some are a failure.

schenectady is a failure since it has not been a success for BOTH businesses and homeowners.

I didn't say that you were a nayboob.  Actually, you are one of the more reasonable persons although I don't always agree with you. (like maybe 85% agree - 15% disagree) Those are the ones driven by hatred that blinds them to anything positive.

Schenectady and other municipalities in the state have high taxes because of the hundreds of "unfunded mandates" put on it by the state.   Both parties in the state legislature are guilty of putting these burdens on the local governments.  Hugh Farley is one of the legislators most guilty (due to his almost 40 years in the state legislature) of going along with crowd and piling on these unfunded mandates.  I can't say that Paul Tonko was any better when he was in the state legislature on this issue.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

and any reasonable person of average intelligence would understand that without PILOTS and Metroplex things would be very bleak for our city
  

? things are bleak!!!!!!!!!!!!....one of the highest tax districts in the country and you think things are good?

cmon now have you ever paid a tax bill?

Quoted from sanfordy2

? things are bleak!!!!!!!!!!!!....one of the highest tax districts in the country and you think things are good?

cmon now have you ever paid a tax bill?

Things are much better than they were 10-15 years ago and headed in the right direction.  Overall, it is a great place to live.
Yes, I have paid and do pay taxes.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I can't help it if nayboobs can't understand that if it were not for PILOTS and Metroplex that there would have been NO improvements Downtown and in other parts of the City-County of Schenectady.  Add to that the bursting of the real estate bubble which LOWERED PROPERTY VALUES for both residential and commercial properties ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY - and any reasonable person of average intelligence would understand that without PILOTS and Metroplex things would be very bleak for our city.
Unfortunately, nayboobs are blinded by their hatred and refuse to acknowledge ANYTHING that happened positively in our community.
  

You don't even recognize the redistribution of wealth and the redistribution of tax death and decay to the homeowners.

No homeowners have benefited from your improvements.

You would understand better if you actually owned a home.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Things are much better than they were 10-15 years ago and headed in the right direction.  Overall, it is a great place to live.
Yes, I have paid and do pay taxes.

You are not a homeowner.

Even renters pay taxes indirectly.

Like you.

more trickle down effect thinking....what a crock of sh*t  

It figures -- when the nayboobs are backed into the corner - because they know that they have been proven wrong - they have to resort to lying personal attacks.