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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. April 15, 2008: The State Legislature vote to approve the state budget last week created a 15% increase in state education aid to White Plains.  This is the most aid ($15.3 Million) the district has received ever and represents 8.3% of the budget. The increase in aid has enabled  the district to raise the school budget, while reducing the tax rate, Assistant Superintendent for Business, Fred Seiler explained to the School Board last night.

The budget with the new state aid increases $400,000 from the previous Preliminary Budget ($184 Million) to $184,420,859 – a year to year increase of 5.95% (about double the inflation rate of 3.3%). This results in a new tax rate of $503 per $1,000 of assessed valuation (down from $506.61 two weeks ago). This results in a $54 saving to the taxpayer. The median home in White Plains will pay $12,580 in taxes to the schools, city and county as a result. 

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors thanked State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, and Assemblypersons Adam Bradley and Amy Paulin for their roles in “lowering our tax rate,” and restoring cuts in state aid previously removed from the budget. Seiler noted that the increased aid was a result of the White Plains representatives and the legislature voting to return the fourth and highest level of state aid formulas which resulted in the most favorable apportionment of state aid to White Plains. Previously White Plains stood to receive $13.9 Million in state aid. The new formula delivers $15.3 Million.

The effect of the new budget on the median White Plains home saves the owner of a home assessed at $15,000, a total of $24 in taxes. The tax increase in the new budget is $425.85  — for  a total  school tax of $7,501 for the $15,000 assessed home.

Here is how the taxes shape up for various home values in the White Plains market. The assessments are the average assessments supplied by the City Assessor.

 

 

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS TAX LADDER — 2008-2009

Taxes — $2 Million Home  Assessed at $42,200

School District —  $21,227

City Tax — $6,279

County Tax — $5,492

Estimated 2008-2009 Total Taxes on $2 Million Home: $32,998

 

Taxes– $1.5 Million Home Assessed at $31,650

School District — $15,920

City Tax — $4,709

County Tax –$4,119

Taxes — $1.5 Million Home:  $24,748

 

$1 Million Home Assessed at $ 21,100

School Tax: $10,613

City Tax: $3,139

County Tax: $2,746

 

2008-2009 Estimated Total Tax: $16,498

 

$700,000 Home with STAR ($14,775 Assessed Value)

School District — $7,431

City Tax — $2,750

County Tax –$2,400

Estimated TOTAL TAX BILL for a $700,000 Home: $12,581

 

 

Taxes – $400,000 Home Assessed at $8500

School District– $4,275

City Tax–$1,265

County Tax  $1,021

Estimated TOTAL TAX BILL for a $400,000 Home:  $6,561*

*Note: These are estimates only and assessments vary on the amenities of individual properties, and  these estimates are only meant to give an idea of the impact of the 2008-2009 round of tax increases of school district, city and county tax rates.

 

Aid Must Be Spent Does Not Result in “Savings”

The school budget has gone up because the state aid is mandated to be spent by the district. Because it is an injection of revenue, the tax rate goes down. Seiler noted that $396,403 of this year’s state aid can be spent on maintenance of the present school district programs. The district is restricted to spending 50% of the remaining $1.1 Million on present programs, and 50% on new programs. The district plans on funding a new science teacher and a coordinator of Special Education programs as part of the new programs, and is looking for other  programs (considered new) to spend an additional $359,000 in aid.

The Board voted  unanimously to approve the $484.4 Million Budget, and to also include $90,000 in improvements to the baseball field facilities at White Plains High School and Eastview Scbool for safety reasons.

Worry over how hard the state budget revenues are

Fred Seiler, speaking with WPCNR afterward expressed worry that he did not know how “hard” the state’s numbers were. He recalled 1992 when state aid was $6.2 Million. That year he said, the state budget revenues did not match expectations and hundreds of school districts across the state had to make cuts in mid-year, because the individual districts were heavily dependent on the state aid. Seiler said White Plains receives 8.3% of its budget revenues from the state, and is somewhat insulated from the effects of state budget shortfalls.

 

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT . April 14, 2008: The Mayor’s Office announced a news conference toward the end of the week in which Mayor Delfino will, with the help of Westchester Residential Opportunies and financial institutions in the area will begin an initiative to help White Plains homeowners  faced with the possibility of foreclosures. The Mayor also questions figures released earlier this month by the County Clerk’s Office on the number of foreclosure actions initiated in White Plains.

Mayor Joseph Delfino, last week at the Common Council Meeting.

 

Mayor Joseph Delfino, noting the County Clerk’s Office figures on White Plains foreclosures,  reported in a news release from the County Clerk at the beginning of April, disagrees with the figures issued on the number of homes where foreclosure proceedings have begun, (54 in the first quarter of this year, according to the County Clerk).

Paul Wood, the Mayor’s Executive Officer, said Mayor Delfino had contacted County Clerk Timothy Idoni to discuss how the figure for White Plains was compiled. Wood said Mr. Idoni was looking into how the foreclosure report for White Plains was put together.

 

Wood said that the city feels that the inclusion of zip codes 10603 (North White Plains) , 10604 (West Harrison), and 10607  (portions of Greeburgh) might have lead to the so-called inflated figure on White Plains foreclosures. The County Clerk news release reported that in the first quarter of 2008 there were 54 foreclosure actions begun in White Plains  and 10 Foreclosure Judgments.

Wood said there were 28 foreclosure actions in the last quarter of 2007, and 23 in the first quarter of 2008 according to White Plains figures.

The County Clerk’s office spokesman said she would check into how the figures were compiled by Zip Code, and would attempt to get a response from County Clerk Idoni.