5-Year Phase-In Possible As Many Nassau Homeowners Deal With Reality Of Unfavorable Tax Reassessment
MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Property tax reassessment has many homeowners in Nassau County riled.
Under a planned fix, half of property owners' taxes are going down, but it's the half going up who remain vocal and critical, CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported Tuesday.
Dennis Duffy of Lynbrook said Nassau County's reassessment system is broken and needs a fix.
"My taxes are going to go up 60 percent," Duffy said.
Duffy, who grieved his property taxes for years and therefore his may have been artificially low, demanded details of the algorithm used to calculate home values. The request was denied by the assessor's office.
"I filed a Freedom of Information request for the formula that the county used in assessing residential properties," Duffy said.
The State Committee on Open Government issued an advisory opinion, suggesting the information is not the private property of the software consultant and therefore not exempt from disclosure.
Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Don Clavin seized the moment.
"We are calling on the county executive to stop putting up barriers. This information is being hidden from the taxpayers," Clavin said.
MORE: Many Homeowners Miffed By Nassau County Property Tax Reassessment Process
Clavin is also a GOP candidate for town supervisor. Democratic County Executive Laura Curran responded this way:
"This is a typical politician who is holding a political press conference because he's running for political office," Curran said.
After stumbling out of the gate, Curran is trying to muscle through an accurate assessment, following the Mangano administration's freezing of the rolls and nearly automatic reductions for those who grieved.
MORE: Nassau County Residents Blast Property Tax Reassessment
Is Albany poised to undo the imbalance?
The state is now considering in its budget a five-year phase-in to help Nassau slow the increase of the burden for those who've been underpaying, and the decrease for those who've been overpaying.
Homeowners simply want relief.
"For reassessment, we need to figure out the best changes to make it equitable," one person said.
"The middle class is suffering from this high gap of tax," another said.
"The whole tax system is unfair," another added.
The Curran administration said it's trying to tamp down fear and make reassessment fair for everyone.
Some Republicans in Nassau County are now urging the county assessor be an elected, not an appointed, position.
