THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

County to Consider Vote on Establishing Assessment Standards–1st Step to Reval?

Posted on June 19, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR The Certiorarian. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators with reporting by WPCNR. June 19,2009: Westchester legislators will move to adopt a resolution which will establish a county assessment commission at Monday’s upcoming Board meeting. The proposed legislation creating the Westchester County Assessment Commission, due for a vote at Monday’s Board of Legislators meeting, would be responsible for the development of a regional model for the collection and maintenance of property data that would be used by local assessing units as the new standard for recording the characteristics of every parcel of property within the county.

White Plains City Assessor Lloyd Tasch reached Friday afternoon by WPCNR described this as the first step that would have to be be undertaken by the county in order to execute a countywide revaluation of property, if the county chose to do so. Tasch also said it was tied to a county effort to photograph-map the county from the air to be used as a resource by all county communities (and assessors). The cost of the aerial photography piece is $1 Million.

Revaluation was endorsed by County Executive Andrew Spano last week in a letter to State Senator Jeff Klein as the only solution to the certiorari practice of businesses filing for lowering of their assessments that have lowered Commerical Property Owners property taxes 9% in the last eleven years, while homeowners property taxes have doubled. Tasch said the establishment of the Commission would also enable communities to defend assessments more successfully.

“It is crucial to the commission’s work that parameters are in place to create a more uniform, transparent, equitable and efficient assessment practice,” said Board Chairman William Ryan (D, I, WFP-White Plains). “This measure will save taxpayer dollars.”

Lloyd Tasch, White Plains City Assessor, President of the Westchester County Chapter of the New York State Assessor’s Association has been working with the county on the legislation.

Tasch told WPCNR it is an effort to standardize assessment data to determine assessments. Tasch said “it’s tryingto get the best data for the defense of certs (challenges of assessments).”

Tasch also said it is connected with another piece of legislation providing $1 Million paid by the county for creating aerial photography maps of all towns and municipalities in the county. Tasch said it would be impossible for individual communities to pay for this themselves. Tasch said this was not a county first step toward a county “revaluation,” but said, “It’s (the Commission’s) exact purpose has not been established, but it would determine countywide standards to gather data needed to do a “reval”

Despite keeping the county tax levy to a minimal increase of 1.77%, a recently released report by the Westchester County Tax Commission highlights a perennial problem that underscores the need to reform how real property is assessed within the county. A slight increase in county taxes can actually end up as a decrease on a property tax bill for some residents and an increase that varies from minimal to significant for others. The current assessment system that produces these wild gyrations year-to-year is outdated and long overdue for an overhaul. Westchester County is the only county where tax warrants do not expire, and where towns, cities and villages are rendered the enforcement authorities in the event of non-payment of taxes.

“As Chair of the Board’s committee with direct oversight over tax collection and assessment, we are taking the lead in fostering true cooperation with all levels of government on this issue,” said Legislator Ken Jenkins (D, WFP-Yonkers), Chair of the Board’s Committee on Government Operations. “The proposed resolution would create a process of assessing real estate and personal property values in Westchester County, and would serve as an extreme benefit for county residents.” This resolution, also, calls on the County to use the assessment improvement study grant award to establish a centralized commercial assessment database – maintained by the County and available for use by all municipalities – using existing data-sharing agreements.

In 2008, Westchester County was one of 50 counties in New York State to receive an assessment improvement study grant of $50,000 under the Centralized Property Tax Administration Program from the NY State Office of Real Property Services. At which time, the Collaborative Assessment Study Committee (composed of members of the Westchester Municipal Officials’ Association, the Westchester Municipal Assessors’ Association and the Westchester County Tax Commission) drafted a study which reviewed at least one system that will apply common standards to every county parcel.

The Collaborative Assessment Study committee concluded that the most appropriate and applicable model would a Municipally-Administered Model, wherein municipalities would either contract among themselves or with an independent agent to treat all parcels identically to achieve transparent, equitable and efficient assessment practices, as well as potential economies of scale. “The Collaborative Assessment Study Committee has worked tirelessly to create this study, upon which the County Board can move toward legislative action,” said Jenkins.

Superintendent Confirms 2%,2% and 1.25% Raises, 16.65% Over 3 Ys+Health Savings

Posted on June 18, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. June 18,2009 UPDATED With Step Increases 10:05 P.M E.D.T. UPDATE, PREMIUM INFO, 12:50 A.M. E.D.T. June 19,2009 UPDATED JUNE 20,2009: The Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors confirmed this afternoon in an e-mail to WPCNR that the School District and the teachers union raise increases are 2% retroactive to 2009-2009, 2% for the coming year beginning July 1 (2009-2010) and 1-1/4% in year three, 2010-2011. The Superintendent did not clarify whether the third year raise of 2-1/2% reported to WPCNR by persons familiar with the Memorandum of Understanding was contingent on economic conditions in year three of the contract, 20010-11.

Though the raise is being reported as 2%, the new contract if approved, actually means a 5.55% increase for each year of the new contract because of the 3.4% to 3.8% automatic salary increases that come with each year a teacher stays on the payrollup to twenty years.. Previously, based on a past Earning Schedule, WPCNR calculated the step raises at 2%. Checking the current earnings schedule each teacher from a second year teacher to a teacher in their 20th year receives a 3.4% to 3.8% raise automatically in addition to whatever scale increase is negotiated according to the current contract.

Roughly calculated by WPCNR this means the wage increases total top 16%.

In addition to the retroactive wage increase payment negotiated at 2% for this year, when you include 2% in wage increases for 2009-10 and 1.25% (according to the Superintendent) for 2010-11, the total wage package for three years creates a 16.25% Increase in salaries for teachers.

The contract increases wages 5.25% over three years,across all levels over and above the automatic step raises for longevity which are 3.8% for each year of service, creating an overall raise over three years of 16.65%.(5.8%, 5.8% and 5.05%) if the present 3.4 to 3.8% longevity increase remains.

Settlement Appears to Catch Teachers Up to Premium Costs, with the Longevity Increases.

Quoted in WPCNR last October, Fred Seiler, Assistant Superintendent for Business for the district confirmed that premiums with the Statewide Schools Cooperative Health Plan, the consortium the district has contracted with for health benefits have gone up 17% since July 2007. He said, Co-Pays have doubled from $10 to $20 for doctors visits.

Teacher Share of Health Premium, 7%.

Seiler said the total premium for an individual with “SWSCHP” as it is known, this year (08-09)is $7,293, of which a teacher pays $625 annually (8.6%) . For a two-person family, the premium is $15,388, the teacher share they pay is $1,075 annually (7%). The premium for a family Two Person, is $16,336, of which a teacher on the family plan pays $1,220 (7% of the cost).

Counting the 3.8% longevity step increases with the 2%, 2%, 1.25% wage increase catches the teachers almost up to the 17% health care premium raises they have faced the last two years.

Response to Confirmation request.

The Superintendent responding to a WPCNR request to correct any part of what was originally reported to us wrote in an e-mail response:

“There are other savings in insurance and the cost for the third year is 1-1/4 %.”

Connors did not deny that the teachers if they approve the contract would pay 8% and 9% of their health package in 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively, and that Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield had been agreed to be dropped as a health care provider by the teachers. The 8% and 9% increase in the teacher share of the preimum is up over the 7% levels of the last contract.

Clouet off hook

The settlement gives incoming Superintendent of Schools Christopher Clouet a breather of 1-1/2 years before he has to negotiate the 2011-2012 teacher contract. Previously, Superintendent Connors told WPCNR only a two year contract was being considered, which would of required Clouet to begin negotiations in January. This gives Clouet a honeymoon to repair the acrimonious atmosphere between the Board of Education and the White Plains Teachers by the 18 month statemate over negotiations, which has ended with a 2% increase, should the teachers choose to accept the tentative settlement

Suzi Op Take on Assessment Bill Being Tinkered; Cert Bill Dead

Posted on June 18, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE CERTIORARIAN. By John F. Bailey. June 19, 2009: State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer’s Press Office told WPCNR today that due to the stalemate in the leadership of the State Senate, the key Commercial Assessment Ratio bill is not expected to come out of committee in 2009. The prognosis may doom Westchester County cities and towns to another round of certiorari applications and potential record assessment losses in a falling real estate market.

For two weeks State Senator Oppenheimer has not released a statement reacting to the publicity campaign of the Westchester County Association and Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano’s opposition to her bill in a letter to State Senator Jeff Klein, or, most recently, a negative editorial in the Journal News.

Oppenheimer and Assemblyman Adam Bradley’s bill would create a separate Commercial Assessment Ratio that county assessors have endorsed as a step that would cut back drastically on the incentive to file certioraris while not raising property taxes on the businesses, homeowners,co-op owners and condominium owners. The bill has been roosting in Albany since 2005 when Bradley introduced it after creating it with the aid of assessors in Westchester County.

Ms. Oppenheimer’s defense of the bill is still being formulated, her Press Secretary said today

Debra LaCappa, Press Secretary for Ms. Oppenheimer, asked 13 days ago if the State Senator had a statement in reaction to the Westchester County Association’s news releases spreading charges the Commercial Assessment Ratio bill would raise property taxes of commercial property owners and co-op and condominium owners (dismissed as “untrue” by the President of the Westchester County Assessor’s Association yesterday and in an article on this website two weeks ago), said Thursday the Oppenheimer response to the attack of the County Exeuctive and the WCA on the bill “was still being tinkered with.”

“There’s been so much misinformation disseminated to persons that have been targeted (by opponents of the bill), it’s hard to explain to them what the bill does,” LaCappa told WPCNR Thursday. “State Senator Oppenheimer’s office has received thousands of calls from elderly home owners and owners of co-operatives and condominiums who are afraid this bill raises their taxes. It’s not easy to explain that that is not the intent of the legislation.”

LaCappa told WPCNR the State Senator leadership issue now playing out in Albany has created a situation where only high priority bills were going to be considered. She said there was an effort afoot to get the Republican Party leadership to agree to taking up bipartisan legislation, but said it did not appear that the Commercial Assessment Ratio would get out of committee this year.

Mr. Bradley, as reported exclusively by WPCNR in a previous story called the Westchester County Association publicity outcry untrue two weeks ago, and noted surprise that County Executive Andrew Spano has endorsed revaluation countywide rather than the Commercial Assessment Ratio bill.

Mr. Bradley called for statements by WPCNR earlier in the week has issued no further statement this week, though to be fair he did return a call yesterday, but WPCNR was on assignment.

District Teacher Settlement: 6.5% Over 3 Years. Higher Pct Health Pay

Posted on June 18, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F.Bailey. June18, 2009 UPDATED 6:10 P.M. E.D.T.UPDATE 10:20 P.M. in Italics: Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors confirmed Thursday afternoon the first two years of the tentative teachers’ contract call for 2% and 2%, respectively, but said the third year increase was 1.25%. WPCNR is checking back with the Superintendent to see if the 2-1/2% reported by a holder of the MOI for the third year is contingent on approval. Connors did not divulge further details except to say in brief written statement,

“There are other saving in insurance and the cost for the third year is 1-1/4 %.”

WPCNR has learned from a source familiar with the school district-teacher Memorandum of Understanding circulated to members of the White Plains Teachers Association, that the leadership and the Board of Edcuation have agreed in principle to a three year contract through 2010-11.

The contract increases wages 5.25% over three years, over and above the automatic step raises for longevity which are currently 3.8%, creating an overall raise over three years of 16.65%, an average of 5.5% a year, if the current longevity pay increase of 3.8% earned automatically every year for the first 20 years.

The tentative settlement also increases the share of health premiums teachers must pay, and eliminates the most expensive health care benefits provider.

The contract, the source says, holds the wage increases to 2% for 2008-2009, 2% in 2009-10 and 2-1/2% in 2010-11, the third year. In the third year, the 2-1/2% does not kick in until February 1 of 2011. The wage agreement is in line with the increase awarded the Civil Service Employees Association (500 employed in the School District) two weeks ago, which also agreed to drop the largest health care provider.

The District and the Teacher Union negotiating team also reached a compromise teacher payment of health benefits with the Teachers Union shifting the way teachers pay for their benefits from a fixed dollar amount to a fixed percentage of the total premium amount. Teachers will pay 8% of their health care premium in 2009-10, and in 2010-11 it will move to 9%. WPCNR has been informed there is no cap on the percentage of the dollar increase. The increase in dollar amount on the 8%, WPCNR has been advised, is less than $100 the first year.

The health care provider the teacher negotiating team agreed to drop was Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

The School District has not returned a request to confirm or elaborate on these basic “meetings of the minds.”