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 POLICE GAZETTE. UPDATED 5 PM EST, MARCH 7, 2008: Police are investigating the motives behind a home invasion on Coolidge Avenue off Soundview Avenue Wednesday night. According to Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Daniel Jackson. Thursday afternoon police announced three suspects had been apprehended and charged with burglary in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon.

“On Coolidge, two subjects pushed their way into the home, which was occupied by a woman and her children. Both subjects were armed. The woman was able to call us and we responded. The two subjects were apprehended in the area and two handguns were recovered. There may have been another subject who remained outside that fled the area. MTA, County, and Greenburgh canines assisted, as well as the helicopter. Motive under investigation. Both subjects were from the Bronx.”

White Plains police officers Hart, Ford, Bucci, Kearny, Carenas and Suben pursued the subjects. Officers Hart and Ford arrested Juan Polanco and recovered a Ruger 45 caliber handgun.  Shortly thereafter, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Lieutenant Kerwick and his K-9 “Hero”arrested Carlos Mercado and recovered a Smith & Wesson 40 caliber handgun. The third subject, Leo Sosa, surrendered yesterday.

At a news conference Thursday aftertoon, Commissioner of Public Safety Dr. Frank Straub announced that three suspects had been taken into custody.  Two suspects were apprehended Wednesday night as described  in the vicinity of 20 Coolidge Avenue, a home owned by the Sanchez Family. Straub said the suspects and the Sanchez family members knew each other, and this figured into why the break-in was attempted. A third suspect surrendered voluntary this morning.

Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Daniel Jackson said the Sanchez family owned bodegas in the Port Chester vicinity that  offered ATM machines. Straub said the family a business known to deal with a lot of cash and speculated this was why the brother, sister and sister’s son who were in the house at the time of the push-in were targeted.  The suspects have been charged with Burglary in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon. The guns recovered from the scene are being processed, Straub said, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and County labs at this time.

Straub said the sister hid in the bathroom when the suspects first entered the home at gunpoint, and dialed 911 at 10: 11 PM.. Straub said White Plains units arrived within two minutes and secured a perimeter, and the Greenburgh and County Police came in to assist. 

At which point two suspects fled the house, one surrendering, and another fled into the night, eventually being apprehended and  secured by the MTA (not Greenburgh as first reported) Canine Officer and his dog.

The Police Dog cornered  and kept the suspect at bay until  the  Greenburgh officer secured the suspect, while in communication with a Westchester County Department of Public Safety helicopter hovering overhead “lighting up the scene.” The officer informed the helicopter he was affecting an arrest, and Deputy Commissioner Jackson said, the officer’s assurances he was in control relayed to the helicopter kept the officer from harm thanks to the seamless communication with them.

Commissioner Straub thanked the Town of Greenburgh Police Department, the MTA Police,  the County Police Department for working with the WPPD in such harmony and coordination. Mayor Joseph Delfino thanked all the officers involved for their performance.

Action in the Afternoon

Commissioner Jackson also provided these details on the high speed chase along the Cross Westchester Expressway Wednesday afternoon through White Plains in a seperate scenario: “The chase was initiated in Yonkers by Yonkers PD. It ended in the Garetson/Chadwick area. We assisted in the search which resulted in two apprehensions. There were several accidents during the chase. At least 1 on Westchester Ave. Apparently, the incident was drug related. Yonkers has the details on the arrest.”

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WPCNR COURTSIDE. February 4, 2008: Kingston defeated White Plains High’s Girls Basketball team today in New Paltz, 52-33 ending the Tigers’ fourth straight trip to the State Championships. White Plains ended the season with a record of 15-11, capturing their fourth consecutive Section 1 Class A Championship.

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  WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE TIMES. From Westchester County Association. March 4, 2008: Citing  the New York State Comptroller’s recent assertion that New York State literally cannot afford to pay for a replacement or even a major rehabilitation  of the Tappan Zee Bridge—estimated at more than $14 billion—The Westchester County Association (WCA) today announced that it is aggressively exploring privatization of the bridge as perhaps the only practical way to resolve the bridge crisis. The Comptroller suggested a public/private partnership approach to the problem.

William Mooney, President of the Westchester County Association in January with Westchester County Executive  Andrew Spano, at the WCA Breakfast with Andy Spano event, when Mr. Spano called for private investment to take over infrastructure improvements.

 William M. Mooney, Jr., President of the area’s preeminent business organization, said that the WCA has reached out to a number of Wall Street firms that have started ”infrastructure funds.”  He said: “The burden of maintaining and repairing infrastructure elements such as the Tappan Zee Bridge that was built in the 1950s is becoming financially prohibitive for government entities. This arguably is the single most crucial element in our regional infrastructure, and it would be irresponsible to not explore all alternatives to financing reconstruction.”

”In Europe, a shift toward privatization has been underway for quite some time. Now, there is  growing interest in the U.S. as evidenced by both states and cities exploring the sale of leases for the turnpikes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, a toll road in Texas and Chicago’s Midway Airport.”

Mooney added, “We believe that elected officials have the responsibility to explore all avenues to finance our infrastructure, both public and private, to find the best solutions to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure in a way that will not put an additional tax burden on the citizens of Westchester County.” 

Last October, the WCA’s Property Tax Reform Commission recommended that privatization be considered to address the county’s infrastructure problems, notably the Tappan Zee Bridge  “With state and local leaders scrambling for cash to solve fiscal problems, conditions are now ripe to put privatization on the table for our Commission members to probe further,” Mooney added.

He noted that Comptroller DiNapoli “provided a new sense of urgency.  By laying it on the line as bluntly as he did, Comptroller DiNapoli has presented our business community and our elected officials with a challenge to seek a creative solution.  The band-aid approach of repairing the Tappan Zee Bridge is only a stop-gap. Everyone agrees that the bridge is in dire need of replacement. The question, then, is how that will be funded.”

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. March 4, 2008 UPDATED WITH PIX 5:24 PM: The Board of Education was presented with a Draft Budget $6 Million less than the $190.7 Million Preliminary Budget presented in January last night. The new Draft Budget comes in at $184.8 Million, a 6.2% increase in spending compared to the 9.6% increase previously proposed. The reduction was achieved by taking out $3 Million of projected certiorari refunds which will be funded most likely by adding to certiorari borrowing next year planned previously.  

School Hears the Draft Budget Monday evening.

The 2008-2009 Draft Budget: $184,828,900

$559 Tax Increase for typical $700,000 Home.

The new budget, combined with 2008 city assessments holding steady at $290.2 Million as announced yesterday, and a scenario assuming the rest of school revenues consisting of $36 Million remains in place, would mean a school tax increase of $559 for the median White Plains homeowner ( house market value of $700,000). The tax rate per $1,000 of assessed valuation would go up $37 to $511/per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The Expense Increases Adding up to the 6.2% increase in the budget. The largest expense increase in the debt service — including the Capital Project now under way — 38.74%. This  2.9 Million in debt service will go up in 2009-2010 when the bond for Post Road School comes on line.

The balance of the approximately $3 Million in savings (in addition to offloading certiorari payments into bonds)  consisted of retirements and administrative  and personnel departures resulting in  $1,000,000 in savings in Salaries; $866,000 saved on Fringe Benefits because of only a 12% increase in health costs, less than expected; $230,500 in Tuition costs; $134,000 in Equipment;   $50,000 in repairs; $163,000 reduction in Utilities; $300,000 in Debt Service and $121,474 in miscellaneous cuts.

Staff for district down 14 persons.

No new teachers are being projected at this time to be added to the budget. The district reported that the staff of 47 Administrators was down by 2, and were not going to be replaced; the staff of 659 certified teachers was  657, with the loss of just 2, and they were not expected to be replaced.

The clerical staff as of October consisted of 113 persons, down 5 from last year. The Number of Teaching Assistants is 238, down 5 from 2006-2007, and the number of Facilities & Operations staff was 90, the same as last year. There were no plans announced to cut staff farther from that.  This makes a total of 1,145 employees, plus there are another approximately 300 employees of the district based on information WPCNR received last year from the district.

New School Data System Needed. BOCES Unable to Deliver.

School Superintendent Timothy Connors announced to the Board that the district is planning to overhaul their technology and data reporting operation, long time a source of irritation to the Board of Education for the inability of present data systems to produce longitudinal studies on student groups as they move through the grades, whether this data roadblock applied to financial patterns was not clear.

Superintendent Connors with Fred Seiler, Assistant Superintendent for Business explaining the District data failures last night.

 Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors, BOCES has not been able to do what the district thought they could in providing the data analysis of district academic results and studies the district has long requested. Two new software programs are being considered, and the need for a Data Processing Manager, whether on a consulting business or a possible new Board position is being considered to upgrade the district ability to report on its academic

State Aid under Governor Eliot Spitzer’s latest proposal would decline almost 4%, Seiler estimated.

In the course of the evening, Assistant Superintendent for Business Fred Seiler said that the school district would receive  less school aid. He said it was unclear what the City Assessment Roll was for 2008.

Good News from City Hall

However, City Assessor Lloyd Tasch reported yesterday that the Roll did not decline from last year, and was actually up some $400,000, meaning the district can expect to collect the same property tax handle they did last year ( approximately $138,495,172). If all other sources of revenue stay steady (last year amounting to $36 Million, the district will have to raise the tax rate $37  per $1,000 over the $474.62/$1,000 to meet the $184.8 Million Draft Budget.

Tax Rate Would Top $500/$1,000 per $1,000 of Assessed Value

The resulting tax rate of $511.62 would mean that a $700,000 home in White Plains, with an assessed value of $14,775 would pay an additional $547 in school taxes next year, a total school tax of $7,559. Add city tax  of $2,700 and the tax bill for the median home owner would top $10,200. You would have to add the county tax on top of that.  WPCNR cautions that this would be the school tax if the rest of the school revenues from last year remain at present levels. Should school aid decline, and other revenue sources decline, the tax increase will be more.

The Annual Budget Committee meets for the second time Wednesday evening to review the Draft Budget.

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. March 3, 2008: The 2008-2009 Assessment Roll was officially released this morning, showing City Assessed Valuation has risen slightly over last year’s $6 Million decline.  The City Tax Assessor reported thought that Residential Assessed Value had declined 3.9% for the first time in a decade.

 The Roll from which city, school and county taxes are determined rose to $290,189,377  up from $289,902,411 Million last year ending a five year decline in the city’s Assessed Value.

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The Good Book! City Assessor Lloyd Tasch presented the 2008 Assessment Roll this morning.

 The city Homeowner’s total Assessed Valuation declined 3.9%, according to Lloyd Tasch, the City Assessor. The  Assessor attributed the stabilization of the assessment roll to the addition of the Louis Cappelli Ritz-Carlton Hotel structure (excluding the two residential towers) and the Ritz-Carlton underground garage (beneath Renaissance Square) to the tax roll at full valuation for 2008-2009, and the return of Nine West to the tax roll.

The school district Assessment Roll for 2008-2009 stands at $291,802,226, which reduces to $249,529, 555  after the STAR exemption.

The Assessor said the stabilization “reflects a balance between certiorari settlements and current City of White Plains development that has taken place. Without the development the Mayor has been responsible for, the City  would be troubled.”

The assessor remarked that the Equalization rate decline ( from 3.24 in 2007 to 2.75% in 2008) “never helps White Plains therefore the city is dependent on development in order for it to be able to endure its certiorari losses.”

“This year we took a terrific hit at the residential assessed value,” Tasch elaborated, “because of the stabilization or slight decline in the residential market.”

Residential Value Declines 3.9%

Tasch said this was the first time the Residential Assessment Ratio in White Plains had declined in ten years he has been with the White Plains Assessor’s Office. (He has been Acting, then City Assessor for two years.)  He said there had been a 3.9% decline in the value of residential property.

However, the Assessor said there was approximately  twice  the number of residential homeowners filing for certioraris in January up from 106 to 173.  Tasch said those claims had already been settled and were reflected in the new roll.  He noted that adjustments to homeowner assessments had very small effect on the final roll and were not a factor. He said he worried more about the large commercial properties where you can lose a million dollars in assessed value with one settlement.

9-West, Louis Cappelli Hotel & Parking Facility Lifts Roll.

Asked how the city was able to make up the certiorari losses of the last year, Tasch said the Ritz-Carlton hotel structure and its subterranean garage have now been fully assessed and placed on the tax rolls. The condominium tower on Main Street and the office/condominium tower on Hamilton, part of the complex have  not been tax rolled yet.

He also noted that 9 West had come off its PILOT of $355,022 paid to the city and $1,420,000 to the school district. Tasch said he had assessed it at $3.2 Million as a PILOT, and the Board of Assessment Review had set its present assessed value  (after PILOT had ended) at $1,950,000, which added that amount to the city assessment roll.

Tasch said “In the public’s eye, people have a problem with PILOTS. PILOTS have been important to White Plains taxpayers for many years, contrary to the negative portrayal of their agreements.”

Possible new taxes after PILOTS less than the PILOT

WPCNR observes that this new assessment results in a city tax of $276,705  in 08-09 based on last year’s tax rate, and a school tax of $924,300 for a total tax payment between city and school of about $1,201,000 in the coming year. This is approximately $500,000 below  what they were paying in their last PILOT payment, $1,775,000.  At least in this case, the PILOT payment Nine West had been paying was higher than their present estimated tax payment for 2008-2009, though the PILOT was set a number of years ago. The Board of Assessment review apparently feels that time has not been kind to the 9 West appreciation in value over the years.

Expects Equalization Rate,  Assessment roll, to Stabilize.

Tasch said “I estimate the assessment roll to continue to be flat or slightly up for next year and the State Equalization Rate to be flat.”

Asked if the low Equalization Rate of 2.75% was going to result in more certiorari filings in the months ahead by commercial properties, Tasch said he had not seen it, the number of businesses filing had not increased, though as noted previously, residential certioraris had increased, though he allowed that was a possibility. WPCNR notes that the last two times such drops in the Equalization Rate occurred  of this year’s magnitude it resulted in the rounds of certioraris that have resulted in certiorari’s costing the city $30 Million in assessments.  A 1.64 percentage point drop (from 6.35%) in 2002-03 and a .64 drop in 2004-2005 (from 4.45%)  helped induce commercial property owners to challenge their assessments. This year’s reduction was a half percentage (3.24% down to 2.74%), and perhaps may have a comparable impact.

No Surcharge or Penalty Device Being Considered

WPCNR asked if the city was considering a surcharge or mechanism to apply to commercial properties to discourage certiorari filings and recoup lost revenue for successful certiorari suits. Tasch said the city definitely was not contemplating such a mechanism.  He said that because the city is not a reassessment community,  the Assessment office has no right to reexamine a property unless some kind of construction occurs, or the property asks for a Board of Assessment Review.

Long Day’s Journey Into Assessment Night

For the record, the City Tax Assessment Roll 17 years ago (1991) stood at $424.1 Million of Assessed Value. By 1997, the first year of the Delfino Administration, it had fallen to $337.3 Million.

This $86 Million drop (B.D., “Before Delfino)  in Assessed Value was based largely on the plunge of the equalization rates of  .45% in 1995-96,  .25% in 1996-97, and a stiff .81 % in 1997-1998 – due mainly to ballooning real estate values – triggering certioraris.

From 1997-98, (A.D. “After Delfino”),  the Assessment Roll continued to erode, from $337.3 Million in 97-98 to $318.8 Million in 2002-2003. The Equalization rate fell by almost half from 8.22% in 1997-1998 to 4.71% in 2002-03, triggering massive certiorari efforts on the part of commercial properties as the housing price escalation hammered the assessment roll.  The Equalization Rate experienced a .12% decline in 98-99, a .65% decline in 99-00; a .36% decline in 00-01; a .74% plunge in 01-02 as rising home prices made it clear on paper that commercial properties were over-assessed.

The Time Bomb

In the last five years of the Administration those certioraris won inadvertently by the Equalization Rate, have been coming home to roost, driving down the City Assessment Roll from $318.1 M in 01-02 to $290.2 Million today, a $28 Million loss of Assessed Value in five years. And there are more of these settlements to come.

In the last five years the Equalization Rate has continued to take its macabre financial toll on the White Plains residential taxpayer.

In 02-03, it dropped, as previously noted, 1.64%! Those were boom days in real estate. In 03-04, .26% eroded off the E.R. In 04-05, .63% was shaved off. The last three years the declines continued, .28% to 3.54%; .30% to 3.24% last year down to the present Equalization Rate of 2.75%, another .49% decline.

Seeing this trend, which has not been matched by any fiscal restraint or significant budget adjustment by either the city or the school district,  or mitigation effort,  the White Plains Homeowner may never see the results of selling their home at the price it has inflated to over the last 17 years.