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)

Circular Urges City, County Budget Protest Monday.

Posted on April 3, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS. April 3, 2008: A private citizen has shared this e-mail protest with WPCNR, being sent to many persons in White Plains, urging them to protest at the city Common Council meeting Monday about the recent budget increases of the county taxes, the school taxes and the city budget, which the flier declares has been prepared in secret.

The Monday evening Council Meeting will feature the annual State of the City Address by Mayor Joseph Delfino, and be highlighted by presentation of the city budget book to the council for the first time. Council President Benjamin Boykin said two weeks ago he had not been consulted on the budget and that the Budget and Management Committee had not been made aware of the city’s budget projection.

The flier is being circulated via e-mail with a cover letter by longtime activist, Marc Pollitzer, and reads:

Dear Fellow White Plains Residents-

As a 32 year resident of WP, a ten year member of the School District’s Annual Budget Committee and a neighborhood association activist, I believe that unless we as citizens express our concerns about ever escalating property taxes, many of our neighbors may very well not be able to continue living in the community.

As taxes approach dollar to dollar assessments, we have an opportunity to express our concerns and ask questions of the Mayor and Common Council on Monday, April 7, as they consider the adoption of the City’s 08/09 budget.

I suggest each of us make an effort to attend and express your feelings. Additionally, please consider forwarding this email to your friends, neighbors and associates in White Plains.

Regards,
Marc

The flier reads as follows:

WHITE PLAINS CITIZENS-

BE ALERT TO

STAGGERING PROPOSED

CITY, COUNTY, SCHOOL

TAX INCREASES

• PREPARED AND PROPOSED IN STEALTH

• REGULARLY EXCEEDING ANNUAL ESCALATION NORMS, DESPITE DOWNTOWN “RENAISSANCE” DEVELOPMENT

• WHAT IS OUR FISCAL PLAN? DO WE HAVE ONE?

IN THE FACE OF TOUGHER ECONOMIC TIMES, WE RISK MAKING OUR CITY “UNAFFORDABLE” FOR MANY IF WE DON’T BITE THE BULLET NOW. CONSIDER CUT-BACK OPTIONS:

· OPERATING COSTS

· CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS

· PERSONNEL SALARIES / BENEFITS

LET OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES HEAR US

AT THE

BUDGET MEETING OF THE COMMON COUNCIL

MONDAY, APRIL 7^th, 7:00pm AT CITY HALL

“Citizens To Be Heard”

Council Meeting: 7:30 P.M.

District Begins Mondo Track Installation at Loucks Field

Posted on April 3, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR TRACKSIDE. April 3, 2008: The school district began installation of the Mondo “Olympic Standard” track at the new Loucks Field Wednesday with workmen beginning the process. The district has 34 days to install the track before the Loucks Games begin May 8. Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors said Monday evening the contractor needs warm (temperatures in the high 40s and 50s) weather to install the track and little rain. Work can proceed as long as there is no rain, he said, and surfaces need not be dry to resume installation after any rain has stopped. The track portion of the new stadium renovation is the final phase in the $5 Million field project, which is said to be on budget, despite most of the money built into the budget for contingency expenses.

Installation of Mondo Track Begins at Loucks Field, Wednesday.

BID Annexation of E.Post Road/ Bloomingdale Rd Awaits Dunphy Call on Stalemate

Posted on April 2, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR’S DOWNTOWNER. By John F. Bailey. April 2, 2008: The Executive Director of the White Plains Downtown Business Improvement Association, said today a decision from the City’s Corporation Counsel Edward Dunphy on whether the retail strips of West Post Road and East Post would be included in the taxing jurisdiction of the BID would be made by the end of the month.

BID Expansion Behind Closed Doors: Dunphy Considers Mixed Opt-In Results.

Rick Ammirato the Executive Director told WPCNR “We are waiting for a decision from the city on our number of “opt-outs,”

He said that to expand the bid there were two standards, 51% of major property owners with the largest assessed values had to approve it, or 51% of all property owners had to approve.

Ammirato said that the major property owners voted overwhelmingly for it, but among all the property owners the vote was very close, almost “even”. but he would not disclose the actual spread.

WPCNR called Mr. Dunphy, to check what the legal issues were involved, and I await the barrister’s explanation.

Asked what individual businesses would pay should the Corporation Counsel decide the mixed votes would allow the expansion, Ammirato said it varied between 2 cents per square foot and 20 cents per square foot, but “pennies on the dollar on an annual basis.”

The BID expects to gain about $1 Million more in taxes from the new businesses that would be included in the BID expansion if the Corporation Counsel writes a favorable opinion.

Stage Set for $15,000 AND UP in Property Taxes on Half WP Homes in 2009-10.

Posted on April 2, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. April 2, 2008: April Fools Day arrived Tuesday and with it came the Westchester County Tax Bill that amounted to $2,400 (including sewage and refuse disposal). The typical median White Plains home on the market for $700,000 and assessed at $18,475 ($14,775 with STAR exemption) now awaits White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino’s promised tax increase April 7.

Should the city raise taxes 7% — roughly the amount the school district voted to raise school taxes Monday evening, (6.75%) half the typical White Plains homeowners will pay $2,800 this year, and can look forward to paying over $3,000 in city taxes this year – and a goodly amount over $3,000 next year. We suspect the increase will be around 5% but since no one is leaking the figure to us, we cannot really say.

Looking at the county, school and city bills for 2008-2009, the conclusion can be drawn that half of White Plains homeowners can look forward next year 2009-2010 to paying just about $15,000 in property taxes and substantially more in taxes on homes marketed over $700,000. If your home is a million dollar home you’ll be paying $20,000 plus in taxes; $1.5 Million, $30,000 plus in taxes. But the inexorably, unstoppable spending of the schools, the city and the county compounds the property tax felony across all housing values.

The school district as WPCNR pointed out, if assessed values do not plummet over the next two years (due to the bottom falling out of the equalization rate in 2008 (2.75%), keeps its present conservative budget escalation rate the same 5.7% (a little less than double the inflation rate of 3.3% according to the way the state figures it) we can figure on another $35 being added to the tax rate, that will increase the tax rate to $540 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. But, the school district increase most likely will be more considering the certiorari time bombs and $50 Million in financing added to the budget. On the median home that means a tax of $8,000.

Throw in another county escalation of 10% in 09-10, with another county tax increase, and you’re up to $2,600, and a city tax in 2009-10 of say another 7% — and you’re at $3,000 – for a total tax bill next year from our three public servant agencies of $14,000 — if your home is on the market for $700,000.

If the school district inflates its spending to 7% for example – half the White Plains homeowners will be paying $15,000 in property taxes and the highest priced homes about double or more.