New Law Protects Clarkstown Property Taxpayers

NANUET, NY — A bill just signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo will limit the shifts between classes of taxable property in Clarkstown. What does that mean? Every year, the proportion of taxes to be raised from commercial properties or from residential properties shifts a little — or could shift a lot.

The new law is meant to help safeguard property taxpayers from bearing an unfairly large share of the local tax burden in areas where many new developments are taking place.

Bill S.6430/A.7513 was sponsored by Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) and Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski (D-Rockland). It limits the shift between classes of taxable property in the Town of Clarkstown. (SIGN UP: Click here to get Patch’s daily newsletter, news alerts and updates.)

"In order to keep our community affordable, we have to make sure that the local government is able to maintain tax fairness for everyone in the community," Carlucci said. "We want to make sure we are protecting taxpayers so families can afford to live here."

The adjusted proportions help determine the taxable assessed value of each type of property. Shifts can cause larger than normal tax increases. Officials' ability to make such shifts results in uncertainty for the taxpayer.

“Fluctuations between commercial and residential tax classes can lead to confusing tax increases for homeowners and businesses," said Zebrowski in an announcement about the new law. "This legislation limits those shifts in the Town of Clarkstown to 1% a year, smoothing out the effects on taxpayers. The bill provides for a more predictable and fair process for taxpayers; saving up to 3% on tax bills from what the current law would have prescribed."

The Clarkstown Town Board held a special Town Board Meeting on July 31 and unanimously passed a resolution adopting the legislation before the August 1st statutory deadline. Clarkstown is the first town in Rockland County to enact this legislation.

"This is a victory for the hard working taxpayers of Clarkstown and represents government at its best --- putting the people’s interest first,” said Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann. "By adopting this legislation, the Town Board has provided stability for every taxpayer allowing residents and businesses to budget better. I want to thank Governor Cuomo, Senator Carlucci and Assemblyman Zebrowksi for standing up for Clarkstown and to Clarkstown Assessor Scott Shedler for his tenacious effort and foresight on this new policy.”

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