School Budget Vote

School Budget Vote

By Erica Jackson

 

On May 18, voters from Commack, Hauppauge, Kings Park, and Smithtown will converge on their polling places to vote on their respective school budgets. With increased costs for teacher retirement funds and insurance; a new MTA tax; and nearly $1.4 billion cut in state aid this year, all local school districts are proposing to raise the tax levy to make ends meet.Photo By Shannon Troccoli

In Commack, Laura Newman, assistant superintendent for finance, said the school district is proposing a 2.56 budget to budget increase. That raise carries with it a 3.96 percent tax levy or in dollars, the average homeowner would be asked to pay an additional $330 to $360.

“We have tried to put together a budget the whole community can support,” said Newman.  “The board is aware of the economic times we are in and is trying to respond to all segments of the community by meeting all needs.”

The increase in taxes, said Newman accounts for a $1.8 million loss in state aid and an increase in pension costs.

To reduce the tax levy, Newman said the district tapped $3.2 in reserve funds and made cuts. Reductions were made in staffing, to the athletic department, to after school programs and to secondary elective programs.

Transportation will also be effected in the elementary schools. According to Newman, nearly $800,000 was saved by changing bus routes to add ten students per bus.  

“We want parents to know that this will increase buss route time by about ten minutes,” said Newman.

For more information on the Commack School District budget, please visit http://www.commack.k12.ny.us/  Photo By Shannon Troccoli

In Hauppauge, James Stucchio, assistant superintendent for finance, said the school district is putting out a budget that includes a 1.27 percent budget to budget increase.  This equates to a 3.24 percent tax levy and the average homeowner will be asked to pay an additional $148 in taxes.

The increase, says Stucchio, accounts for a $1.2 million loss in state aid and dramatic increases in payments to the MTA tax, the teachers retirement fund and insurance.

“Unfortunately, we had to make some cuts,” said Stucchio.

Among those cuts are 23.7 staff members of which 12.7 are teaching positions. Cuts were also made, said Stucchio to the district’s overtime, substitute and summer school programs. “We also reduced as much equipment as possible and capital construction costs,” said Stucchio.

In addition, Stucchio said the district utilized $700,000 in reserve funds to help lower the tax levy.

“We are fortunate to be able to put together a lean budget and keep our programs and initiatives in the district intact.” said Stucchio.

For more information on the Hauppauge School District budget, please visit http://www.hauppauge.k12.ny.us/metadot/index.pl

In Kings Park, Dr. Susan Argruso, superintendent of schools, said the district is proposing a budget increase of Photo By Shannon Troccoli 2.11 percent.  The tax levy for that increase would be 2.11 percent or $133 for the average homeowner.

“I know these are hard economic times, but the board did a good job balancing priorities and maintaining programs to provide a good education for our students,” said Dr. Argruso.  

With that, Dr. Argruso, said cuts were required to account for a $1 million loss in state aid and increased costs for salaries and benefits.

“We didn’t cut programs, but we had to eliminate double teams at the middle schools and late busses,” said Dr. Argruso.

In addition, classes sizes will increase and some teachers will be laid off, said Dr. Argruso.

For more information on the Kings Park School District budget, visit http://www.kpcsd.k12.ny.us/. Photo By Shannon Troccoli

In Smithtown, Superintendent of Schools Edward Ehmann says the school district is looking to increase its budget by .11 percent.  For taxpayers that translates into a 1.66 percent increase in taxes or $130.30 for the average assessed home.

The increase, said Ehmann, mostly accounts for a $3.6 million loss in state aid and a $400,000 payment to the new MTA tax.  

In order to keep the tax levy at bay, Ehmann said the district did need to make some cuts, but not as many as other districts. He said, “I am pleased that we didn’t have to make as many cuts as other districts, but I am still concerned about the pattern of state aid cuts each year.”

Smithtown was fortunate enough, said Ehmann that there were a number of teachers retiring. The district is also looking at a declining enrollment, which would require fewer teachers for the upcoming school year. The district, also said Ehmann is utilizing a portion of its reserve funds to hold the line on taxes.

For more information on Smithtown School District budget, please visit http://ww5.smithtown.k12.ny.us/

Smithtown Democratic Committee Denounces "Before and After"

Smithtown Democratic Committee

PO Box 608, Smithtown, NY 11787

Phone (631) 265-6520   

Edward Maher, Chairman

May 5, 2010

Press Release:

Smithtown Democratic Committee (SDC) denounces recent Smithtown Messenger “Before and After” joke as devoid of humor and tasteless. Further, the SDC proposes that the elected officials who represent Smithtown stop the subsidy of the Smithtown Messenger, with taxpayer money, by immediately discontinuing the practice of using the newspaper for public notices.

The Smithtown Democratic Committee today criticized the local newspaper The Messenger for its reprehensible photo joke entitled "Before and After”.  The joke shows photos of the last six Presidents and First Ladies of the United States of America including our current President, Barack Obama and First Lady, Michelle Obama.  The photos show the presidents with their wives at the beginning of their terms, and then at the end of their terms.  In place of an “After” photo of our current President and First Lady, is a photo of the characters Fred Sanford and Aunt Esther from the 1970’s sitcom Sanford & Son.

Readers of the local papers in Smithtown know that The Messenger is generally considered as the conservative voice. But isn’t a conservative tenant respect for the United States and its institutions? In 2008 over sixty-six million Americans elected Barack Obama to the office of President, the same office held by George Washington and Ronald Reagan. Political differences and the ability to speak out for or against policy and politicians is one of the great aspects of our system of government. However, the publishing of this despicable photo was beyond bad taste and should have no place in Smithtown.

Ed Maher, Chairman of the Smithtown Democratic Committee, stated “We know that this was not a joke. It’s a slur, it’s inciting and it is an embarrassment to the town of Smithtown to have had it published in one of our local newspapers”.

As residents and as taxpayers in Smithown the Smithtown Democratic Committee proposes that the elected officials who represent Smithtown stop the subsidy of the Smithtown Messenger, with taxpayer money, by immediately discontinuing the practice of using the newspaper for public notices.

The SDC also states that an apology from Phillip Sciarillo, Editor-in-Chief of the Messenger would be worthless and politicians seeking election or reelection in Smithtown should know that accepting an endorsement from this publication would make them complicit with the attitudes The Messenger espouses.

Commentary, Op-Ed, Letters to the Editor

Where has the American Dream Gone?

Written by John Dennehy

Immigration reform is one of those issues that just won’t go away.  Not only is immigration so important to the future of this nation, but it is an issue that provokes a lot of passion; and a lot of division.  The debate sometimes subsides but it never goes away, and it once more splashed across the headlines in late April when Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law.  The law requires police to question people they suspect of being in the US illegally.  It also requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents on them at all times.   The controversial law will not just encourage, but require police harassment on the Latino community, and likely drive them away – illegal or not.  The law seems to completely ignore the ideals on which this nation was founded upon and replace it with a conservative nationalism that forgets we were all immigrants once. 

America is the home of the immigrant – America is the entire world together.  From every corner of the globe passionate people come to make their dreams a reality.  The “American Dream” is a very real idea the world over, and so many people yearn for it, strive for it, and are inspired by it. 

Our grandparents came here in search of their dreams and bore grandchildren who have forgotten what dreaming is; and have dammed the rest of the world.  We could be a land of ideals; our idealism could be what brings everyone together here.  Freedom has become just a catchy word and arrogant nationalism our new ideal.  America is a pyramid scheme continually pushing everyone up who’s come before with each new generation of immigrants.  And we still are the home of the immigrant, but today’s immigrants come across our borders not with the hope of a better life, just a better paycheck.  All the fences in the world won’t stop an avalanche of hungry people looking for remedial work; money and those who seek it know no bounds.  The fences we build, both physical and otherwise, do not exist to the exploiters and the exploited, but they are very real barriers to the dreamers – and we are driving the dreamers away.  

 ______________________________________

John Dennehy is a teacher, writer, dreamer and traveler.  He has spent most of his life in Kings Park but more recently spent five years living and working in Latin America and Asia.  He is finishing his first book which is about life, love, revolution, and sneaking across South American borders.  For more on his book and other projects or adventures check out www.johndennehy.org

Cell Tower Goes Online

Cell Tower Goes Online

By Erica Jackson

As the spring golfing season gets into full-swing, golfers at the Smithtown Landing Country Club and residents of the neighboring San Remo community will finally have cell service.  Despite a snafu with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Joy Mooney, managing partner of SiteTech, of Islip, says the cell tower is online with AT&T.

According to Bill Fonda, spokesman for the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), SiteTech, failed to file necessary permits, which prevented the tower from going online earlier this year. “They needed a variance, which they did not get,” he said.

However, Mooney said after a meeting on April 28 between SiteTech, the Town of Smithtown and the DEC, the DEC permitted SiteTech to bring the tower online, pending the filing of proper permits.

Mooney says her company was not aware that a DEC permit was necessary.  “This has been four years in the making. The last thing I would have done is forget to file for a DEC permit,” she said, “We were not told by the town that a permit was needed.”

According to Fonda, DEC regulations require that anything constructed along a Wild and Scenic River corridor must obtain a special permit.  Since the tower was built at the country club near the Nissequogue River, which has a Wild and Scenic River designation, permits should have been obtained.

“The tower is seventy five feet tall and our standards require a variance at forty feet tall,” said Fonda.

To obtain the proper permit, SiteTech, said Fonda, must provide “justification” on why its tower must extend higher than regulations.  He said, “We then have the option to tell them to take the tower down, move the tower, or we can provide SiteTech with a permit and require them to do some kind of mitigation project that would improve a shoreline or habitat area.”

Moving the tower, however, may prove difficult. 

According to Frank DeRubeis, Smithtown town planner the location of the tower was selected after a golfer went into cardiac arrest and fellow golfers were unable to call 911 due to a lack of cell service.

“The man survived,” said DeRubeis, but town officials decided a cell tower was needed at the country club so a similar emergency wouldn’t happen.

The town requested bids via a Request For Proposal (RFP) process for a cell tower to be constructed on the town’s property at the county club.  Two were received. 

The town selected SiteTech to lease the land from the town and a 3-year planning process commenced. While SiteTech worked with the town on a lease contract and  a site plan review, the town asked the state to approve special legislation that would “alienate” the 0.7 acres of land that the cell tower sits on.  

“In other words,” said DeRubeis, the alienation legislation took the land out of the park so a private tower could be built on it. The land would revert back to the town if the cell tower ever goes out of commission.

The Smithtown Town Attorney’s office did not return repeated phone calls as of press time

May 18 - Last Day to Grieve Property Taxes

40 Maple Ave, Smihtown NYTax Grievance 

By Erica Jackson

Despite declining home values, taxes continue to rise, but there is something Smithtown residents can do to recoup some of their loss, says Margaret Remhild, vice president of Long Island Tax Savers of St. James.  “It is your right to file a tax grievance.”

Each year, numerous home owners approach Remhild and other tax grievance companies with a simple question, “How much money can you save me in property taxes?”

Remhild says that over the past 19 years she has helped thousands of clients to reduce their taxes through the tax grievance processes. “I have saved people as much as ten thousand dollars to as little as five hundred dollars on their tax bills,” she said.

To file a grievance, Remhild says all she needs is a copy of a homeowners tax bill or the address of the home in question. And since she doubles as real estate broker, Remhild says she knows almost immediately if the homeowner has a case.  “I know home values,” she said.

Time and time again, especially in this economy, she said has seen far too many homes assessed at, for example $400,000, but in the market place, they are only worth $350,000.  This, she says makes a perfect case for a tax grievance.

Mitchell Drucker, president of Long Island Tax Cut, LLC, of Smithtown has noticed the same trend:  “Over the past eight years, property values have come down significantly. There is a much larger percentage of homeowners that are being overassessed.”

In fact, Drucker said he saw his company’s client list rise nearly ten percent last year alone.  

One of those clients was Ed McElhone, a 10-year Fort Salonga homeowner.  McElhone said he approached Drucker after learning that his neighbors with similar homes were paying less in taxes.  “We were paying close to twenty five thousand dollars a year in taxes and our property value declined by at least three to four hundred thousand,” he said.

He hired Drucker and soon after filing for a grievance McElhone said he was pleased to receive a $2,000 reduction in taxes. 

Alex Olshonovsky, also a ten year resident of Fort Salonga, saw a savings of $7,000 after filing a tax grievance through Drucker’s company.  Like McElhone, Olshonovsky said his home value had dropped significantly since he purchased it new ten years ago. 

Presuming that a client’s home is overassessed, documents, including an appraisal, are filed with the Town of Smithtown’s Board of Assessment Review, which is the body that examines all grievances.  The board is charged by law to made a determination by July.  If positive, the homeowner’s next tax bill is adjusted accordingly.  If negative, however, a small claims review petition can be filed, at a cost of $30.  

It can be a lengthy court process, noted Remhild, who suggested that hiring a tax grievance professional can benefit a homeowner. “If you had a heart problem you would go to a specialist, knowledge is power,” she said.

Drucker, who like Remhild, charges fifty percent of the homeowner’s first year’s tax savings as a service fee, agrees: “We have the experience and know how to prepare the proper documents.”

While the Town of Smithtown is happy to investigate all grievances filed on behalf of a homeowner, Peter Johnson, deputy town assessor of Smithtown, says his office urges residents to stop in and speak to someone about a possible grievance. “Sometimes,” he said, “it is not always necessary to go the formal route. Our office is open from nine to five and we are happy to review any homeowners’ situation.”

By stopping in the office personally, Johnson said his office may be able to provide additional relief for a homeowner through a variety of tax saving programs, such New York State’s School Tax Relief (STAR) program.

He reminded, however, to stop in prior to the town’s tax grievance deadline: May 18.

If looking to file a tax grievance, homeowners, said Johnson, need only to bring proof that their home is being overassessed. Proof, he said, could include listings of comparable recent home sales. There is no fee for filling, said Johnson, who also noted that unlike New Jersey, New York State law states that a review can never result in an increase in taxes.  

Once documentation is filed, Johnson said that the town’s three member Board of Assessment review, will take a look at the documentation and make a determination based on the “value of the property, comparable sales in the area, and what the home is worth.”

“I would say a homeowner has a fifty fifty shot at some sort of relief, especially in areas where we see the market dropping,” said Johnson.

Last year, Johnson said nearly 9,000 grievances, commercial and residential, were filed with the town.  Of those, 3,000 residential grievances were referred to a small claims court for additional review.

And while many homeowners are able to obtain a reassessment, Johnson said residents should know that on a whole, the town’s assessment rolls are, according to New York State,  “uniform and equitable.”

“Our assessments do not deviate by more than ten percent of the value of the property,” said Johnson.  “And while there are properties that are over assessed, overall, the state told us that we are doing a good job.”