WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communications. March 5, 2009 EDITED:  County Executive Andy Spano has released a video message to Westchester residents, reassuring them that the county government is well positioned to deal with the continued economic downturn affecting the nation. 

       See the message at: http://www.westchestergov.com/news_spanovideoecon.htm

       In the message on the county’s Web site and on YouTube, Spano states that the county government is “well prepared to meet the challenges ahead.”

       “We go over the county budget line by line every year and make adjustments based on changing economic times… That’s one of the reasons why we are the only county in the state with triple A bond ratings from all three rating agencies. And why we have been able to keep county taxes down to an average of 2.6 percent over the past five years,” he said  in part. “…  While we cannot predict what lies ahead,  we do not expect to have to take drastic actions that would result in the loss of jobs or jeopardize vital county services:”

     WPCNR notes that the county is in such financial shape it hired two replacements for the departed aid to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, at the cost of $50,000 and $80,000 each.

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WPCNR THE HOUSING NEWS. From Cappelli Enterprises March 5, 2009 (Edited)– Cappelli Sales & Marketing has announced its very own stimulus program for Westchester County today where agents can earn over $100,000 in bonuses this year selling Cappelli apartments and condominiums.

When an agent sells a new home at any participating Cappelli property they earn the standard three percent commission. However, when they sell a second Cappelli home they receive a $5,000 bonus in addition to their three percent commission. The bonuses increase incrementally by $2,500 for each new home sold. For example, the bonus for a third sale is $7,500, $10,000 bonus for a fourth, $12,500 for a fifth and so on. An agent who sells ten homes this year from Cappelli properties would receive a total of $135,000 in bonuses in addition to the 3 percent commissions.

“Our message to the brokerage community is quite simple — You keep selling and we’ll keep paying,” said Marge Schneider, Executive Vice President of Cappelli Sales & Marketing. “This may sound like a challenge in today’s market but it can be done. Last year we had one broker who brought us eight deals,” she said.

The Cappelli properties covered under this new incentive program include: The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains; Trump Parc Stamford in Stamford, CT; Trump Park Residences in Yorktown; and Trump Plaza and The Lofts in New Rochelle. This diverse group of Cappelli properties ranges in price from $400,000 to $8 million.

Ms. Schneider noted that the sales offices at the various Cappelli properties are reporting an increase in traffic in recent weeks. “We are seeing more and more buyers coming back into the market. We intend to build on that excitement by energizing brokers with this new bonus incentive program.” 

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. March 2, 2009 UPDATED March 3, 2009 6 P.M. E.S.T.: The City Assessor presented the final 2009 Tax Assessment Roll Monday, and it reports city assessments declined $1.6 Million more than the $288.4 Million previously reported January 2 to $286.8 Million.  It means an automatic 3% tax increase for the school district budget.  If your home is worth $700,000, assessed value of $15,100, your School Tax goes to about $8,000.

If the city budget does not go up past this year’s budget of $161.7 Million, your City Tax hits $2,770, up $50 and your county tax hits $2,400. Total tax bill estimated, $13,370 and perhaps rising another $1,000 if — if the city raises its budget. As the school district and city continue to build their budgets with income projections softening, the taxpayer can well be apprehensive.

The  City of White Plains 2009 Final Assessment Roll Reaches Out and Touches Your Wallet. 

The total decline in assessments year to year was  $291,802,226 to $286,811,998, $8,200 shy of a $5 Million decline, down  1.7%.  The City Assessed Value is $285.2 Million.

CERTIORARI HEMORRHAGE CREATES TAX SQUEEZE TO COME? If the tax refund trends of the mid-90s return  to White Plains in the next two years, the school district and the city could face a major cetiorari hemorrhage. Note how, even with “modest” school budget increases in ’92.,’93.’94,’95, ’98 and ’99, when a certiorari “drain” hits the tax increase almost doubles to make up for it. To fund the current Preliminary School Budget, the school district is committed to an automatic 3% tax increase, because the recent round of assessment grievances have further dropped the tax roll  $1.6 Million, making it off $5 Million, not $3.3 Million as previously projected, meaning a 3% tax increase, not a 2% tax increase

The $1.6 Million decline since January 2, is directly the result of 251 successful assessment challenges at the Board of Assessment Review of 855 filed with the City Assessor in January. If other school district revenues decline significantly as expected, the school tax rate increase could move up to 5.3%

The decline means the White Plains City School District has $5 Million less assessment base to raise revenue to fund its Preliminary $185.6 Million budget now being considered. With only $286.8 Million in tax base, down from  the $291.8 M of 2008,  it means the tax rate has to advance $16 per thousand to $519/M. That’s where it has to go to collect the $148.8 Million to matching last year’s tax collection of $147 Million plus the additional $1.5 Million now contemplated being added to bring the new budget to $185.9Million.

The Preliminary Budget could conceivably call for an additional 2.3% tax increase to 5.3%. This scenario might happen if the $2.5 Million in state school aid (currently at $15.3M )  is taken away as the school district anticipates, and if the MTA tax on school districts that would hit up the district for $325,000 is enacted. Of course if school district revenues of $38 Million (including Payments in Lieu of Taxes) decline, the tax rate will go up accordingly, possibly beyond 5.3%

Don’t Forget the STAR BANDITS “Take”

 Mr. and Mrs. And Ms. White Plains might also be expected by Governor David Paterson and the State Legislature to kick back an additional 18% of the BASIC and ENCHANCED STAR that will add just a tad of a surcharge to your taxes. On the $700,000 home the BASIC STAR cut costs the under-65 taxpayer an additional $224 (using the $519/$1,000 tax rate we have calculated). The over-65 taxpayer enjoying ENHANCED STAR definitely will have his or her tax bill enhanced even more negatively, contributing  an additional $507.  The senior ENHANCED CUT is significantly more impacting than the BASIC Cut.

A Disturbing Trend Continues

This was the sixth decline in the City Assessed Value in the last seven years of the Delfino Administration, going back to 2003-2004, despite the city “Renaissance.” Prior to 03-04,  the assessment roll had increased  three out of five years, with the roll advancing in 2000-01, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003.

Unfortunately, the trend in assessment decline among all properties should only accelerate due to the 15%,  50 point decline,  in the equalization rate last year to 2.75% in each of the last two years from 3.24% in 2006-2007.

That has been the unfortunate history of equalization rate fallout. Two years after a drop, the certiorari filings mount creating havoc on the tax roll and pain in school tax payers’ budgets.

Previously when the Equalization Rate declined 25%, 60 point drop  from 6.35% in 2001-02 to 4.71% in 2002-2003, this resulted in a $9 Million Dollar decline in Assessed Valuation for the School District in 2004-2005, the most devastating drop since 1999-2000.  

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WPCNR Rememberance. Some fleeting thoughts by Peter Katz Co-anchor, White Plains Week. March 1, 2009: For part of the time I was with ABC News, one of my responsibilities was to oversee Paul Harvey’s radio newscasts — a five minute morning drivetime newscast and a 15 minute noontime show. At the time, I was on the management side of the business, in charge of the news programming for ABC Radio’s Entertainment Radio Network. Back then, there were four distinct radio network services originated by ABC. Paul Harvey was “assigned” to my network, and was carried by the approximately 400 stations on that network plus about 800 more stations affiliated with the other three ABC radio networks. Estimates of his cumulative audience ranged from 20-million to 50-million different people listening to at least one of his broadcasts each week. He was the most-listened-to personality in radio.

My office at the time was at the studio facilities at 1926 Broadway, overlooking Lincoln Center. That made it a little easier for me to deal with Paul when upper management had a demand or complaint, since he usually originated his broadcasts from the ABC bureau in Chicago, co-located with station WLS. I could look out the window and enjoy the view of Lincoln Center while on the phone making demands of Chicago bureau manager Meyer Proctor who had to do the dirty work while I took the credit with New York management.

For many years, his broadcasts were introduced as “Paul Harvey News.” However, a lot of the content went far beyond news into the realm of commentary. I felt that the broadcasts should be identified for what they were, and campaigned until the top executives in the news division agreed with me. Paul balked when I proclaimed that from now on his broadcasts were to be identified as “Paul Harvey News and Commentary.” After extended negotiation, he agreed to a double identification in which the word “commentary” would not be used, but the word “comment” would. The announcer said:  “Paul Harvey News and Comment brought to you by (sponsor credit). Now, Paul Harvey News.” I don’t know whether identifying the broadcasts as going further than just reporting the news made a difference to anyone but me.

As of the last time I listened, they still were using that introduction, which frequently was voiced by his son, Paul Harvey Jr., acting as the announcer.

Sometimes, Paul would come to New York for business, a shopping trip with his wife Lynne (he called her Angel, which is how she was known to his audience), or a television appearance. When he originated his radio shows from New York, I had to be there at 5 a.m., to be sure he had whatever he needed, and to act as his editor. He wrote his own newscasts. In one sentence, he could tell a complex story that would take others two or three paragraphs. He was the best writer in the business, and the best story teller. His copy seldom needed editing, although I do remember questioning some of his facts on occasion. His conservative views were a given, and sometimes he did bend the facts a bit. But, his style and content were aimed west of the Hudson. Whenever I did actually uncover a factual error, he was grateful. There was no “star” act when in a working newsroom, even though he was of “star” status as a revenue producer for the network and household name in so many households.

His newscasts were notable for carrying stories you never heard anywhere else. He got a lot of his material from what’s called the “B” wire. These were secondary Associated Press and United Press International wires which carried feature and human interest  stories, and the lesser hard news stories of the day. He also received a steady stream of local newspaper clippings from friends, listeners and local radio station operators around the country.

Paul was very health conscious in what he ate. He was big on a lunch consisting of a banana with peanut butter. 

From time to time he and Angel would go on vacation to their house in Carefree, Arizona. He would originate his shows from the garage which had been converted into a radio studio. When it was my turn to go out there, I stayed in luxury at the Carefree Inn, driving to his house in the middle of the night. He treated me like a relative who had come to town for a visit, wanting to be sure I got to the “cowboy” steak places, and talking at length about the architecture of the house they had designed to blend in with the desert. I still remember the pride with which Paul and Angel showed off the rock outcropping (boulder) which grew from the floor of their master bedroom.  

Although Paul was doing guest shots on the t-v talk shows and an occasional news commentary, he wasn’t doing any regular television at the time. I had an idea and worked with a Chicago writer named Bob Allen to develop a proposal for a television series to be called “Paul Harvey’s America.” It would each week present stories of people who have achieved something for their communities or the country, combined with travelog segments of unusual and interesting things to see here in the U.S. We tried selling it to top ABC management, who eventually turned it down. So did the other networks. The program syndicators weren’t interested, but soon thereafter Paul Harvey signed to do a daily commentary segment which was syndicated to stations in many markets and ran for a couple of years.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. February 28, 2009: The Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety reports as of Saturday that White Plains police are following up leads that have come in on possible suspects in the $6,000 bank robbery at the Stop N Shop last Monday morning. Daniel Jackson issued this statement to WPCNR Saturday:

Nothing concrete. We’re investigating a couple of leads that have come in, however no arrests have been made as of now.

Persons who might recognize this man — captured on video surveillance camera committing the robbery should contact Police at 914-422-6111, your confidentiality will be protected.

CRIMESTOPPERS: Do you recognize this man, shown committing the Stop N Shop robber last Monday? If you do or have information on his whereabouts, contact White Plains Police, 422-6111, in confidence.