THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. Data New York State Department of Taxation & Finance, February 25, 2020:

Westchester County sales tax receipts increased 37% in January over the January of 2018. ($63,836,271 last month compared to 2018 $46,716,3810.

It was the first full month of the county’s 1% increase sales tax increase at the start of the county 2020 fiscal year. The 37% increase, if it is maintained the next 11 months on average would easily beat the 27% increase for the year prognosticated by the County Budget creators.

WPCNR asked the Department of Taxation & Finance if the euphoric result was based on unusual internet sales taking place just before Christmas and not reported until January.

WPCNR also asked if internet sales were up robustly throughout the metropolitan area and the state in January.

WPCNR also inquired if this was a single correction by the Department reflecting previous errors or miscalculations. WPCNR awaits the state, and perhaps the county explanation.

We await an explanation for this windfall.

If this county record is due to all internet action up close to Christmas, it is very good news for the county coffers and politicians looking to increase budget spending.

However, is  extremely grim for cities and towns with empty retail storefronts,  mall projects depending on in-person shopping, and casts a sense of apprehension about the high hopes for  ballyhooed and wooed, mixed-use residential projections going up across the county, developers are trying to build.

The most increases in sales tax receipts the county has received in month-to- month over the last 25 years have been in the 5% with the largest swings being 10% range.

If this unprecedented spending continues at the 30% rate, the county would earn $850,000,000 in sales tax receipts, $748 Million is budgeted.

This one month explosion may slowdown considerably but Mr. and Mrs. White Plains and Westchester, if this windfall continues to hum, could easily expect a substantial tax cut in the 2021 budget. I suspect this is the internet last minute rush contributing to the record January. But someone in Albany should figure this out. Towns, cities, governments need to know.

WHITE PLAINS Comeback

White Plains had a great month, too, experiencing its second straight $5,000,000 sales tax receipts month. With $5,830,213 recorded in December, and $5,084,046 in January beating last January receipts ($4,576,957) or 12.8%  is wonderfully ahead of  White Plains last fiscal year after 7 months. 

Through January fiscal 19-20, White Plains has increased sales tax revenues 9.1% $32,041,109 compared to $29,364,954 after 7 months of fiscal 18-19

Should White Plains earn the same tax receipts they did last year, the city will collect $20,778,513 and added to the $32,041,109 collected after the first 7 months, the city will finish with $52,819,622 in sales tax receipts, and perhaps even more. The city will love this because the sweat over the sales dollars is always a worry. We have barely made it the last few years. 2019-20 looks very as we turn the corner.

Is it the internet? Is it car sales? Is it more bar receipts?

The state needs to break down sales tax receipts and the distribution in much more detail and by demographic category by type of business. Cities can plan better and know when they are setting a development course that may or may not work because there is not information spelling out what is being bought in every city and where the growth in consumer tastes, methods of shopping, pace of shopping are going.

Right now cities and towns in Westchester and across the site are flying their budgets and planning through financial storms and fronts without instruments which can be readily developed on economic activity in much more detail, if the state wanted to do it.

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. February 24, 2020 UPDATED WITH VIDEO ACTUALITY 12:45 AM EST:

The attorney for the developer planning to build a new signature gateway project replacing the White Plains Mall, requested a three year site p an extension at the televised Common Council Special meeting last night. It is the second developer to ask for an extension in three weeks. Grid Properties was the other.

Bill Null the Hamilton Green attorney, said the mall is still occupied by the Department of Motor Vehicles and a  dialysis center and there was no certainty as to when the property could be ready for demolition. He also pointed out the equity financiers the developer is negoting with, was reluctant to finance all the project at once and preferred to fund in two stages.

Null suggested an arrangement similar to the Bank Street project done in two stages.  He said a one-year extension would not do much good because even if demolition began by October that might not be time enough to start the project where the property need remediation of contaminants.

He gave no timetable when financing could be arranged.  He said his client did not want to be held to doing the underground parking below the open space project first. Mayor Roach showing visible disappointment at the news asked when financing might be completed. Null said he could not commit to one.

In questioning by Common Council persons Jennifer Puja and Justin Brash, Null said Puja was being unfair in criticizing the PILOT agreement, which had not, Null said, been hammered out yet as the owner was still paying property taxes and deriving income from the property.  He told Brash the project might not start for 5 years due to the two-stage financing  equity partners were requesting. Brash alluded to the practice developers in the recent past have had in achieving a site plan approval, not starting the project and selling the property instead. Null said his client is committed to developing the property.

Councilman James Kirkpatrick asked Null to arrange to have the principals of the developer come in and address the council. (Drew Greenwald the principal of Grid Properties did address the council four weeks ago. on his project, The Boulevard, that has not started after 4 years of site plan extensions. Greenwald told the Council, his company was committed to the project. )

In other action Monday evening, Richard Hart Commissioner of Public Works described a project extending the Greenway Trail to Bolton Avenue which he expected to be completed by the spring.

Hart also introduced a replacement of light towers at recreation fields, replacing them with LED lights which would earn the city $614,000 over ten years.

Judith Mezey, The Deputy Commissioner of Planning outlined a plan to revise Community Development eligibility requirements to  reinstate elighibility of condominiums and co-ops and commercial buildings in areas targeted by the city and introducing the ability to fund “soft costs”.  The targeted areas would be introduced in late June. The Deputy Commissioner also said homeowners in all areas of the city could be considered for community development funds for minor repairs.

Karen Pasquale, the Executive Assistant to Mayor introduced a plan where the city would charge 5 cents per paper bag supplied by stores, mostly supermarkets, which are prohibited from using plastic bags beginning March 1.  She said the plan would have the city would receive 20% of  funds raised by the  5 cent tax per paper bag. Council President Nadine Hunt-Robinson observed plastic bags are often used for garbage bags in homes throughout the city. Councilman Brasch suggested the 20% cut the city gets could be used to provide reusable bags to citizens to cut down on paperbag usage.