Town Board votes to support state taxpayers protection act

AMENIA — The Town Board voted March 20 to support The New York State Property Taxpayers Protection Act, a bill that is currently being considered in the state Assembly.

The bill was introduced in May 2007 by Republican Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick of Smithtown, and is intended to protect school district taxpayers from heavy tax burdens.

According to Fitzpatrick’s state Assembly Web site at assembly.state.ny.us, if the bill passes, it would prevent school district property tax levies from increasing by more than 4 percent each year or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower.

The bill would require the state to fund any mandated programs imposed on a school district that would cost $10,000 annually or $1 million statewide. It also provides 100 percent reimbursement to schools for costs incurred from fourth- and eighth-grade math and English tests, beginning in the 2008-09 school year.

"Unfortunately, there’s a large portion of [assemblymen] from New York City who are comfortable with the current system," Amenia town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard said after the meeting. "The more other towns [support this] it tells Albany to get off your butt and do things."

State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro is a cosponsor of the bill. At a property tax reform forum in February, which was held at Amenia Elementary School, Molinaro called the state’s current property tax system "regressive."

"I believe the single most important issue facing the state is the crushing burden of property taxes, primarily the way we use it to fund education," Molinaro said. "The current system is silly, regressive and it pits people against one another. I come from the perspective the way we fund schools today is wrong, not only because of the level of funding and the inequities from one district to another, but it’s a social concern. It pits those who have against those who have not, whether it would be large property owners against small property owners, wealthy versus those of lesser means and senior citizens against families."

For the full text of the bill, visit assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A0877.