By Nick Buglione
But homeowners at last Tuesday's budget presentation expressed concerns about how that tax hike would be reflected in their bills in the fall, and whether the ongoing contract negotiations with the teachers union would impact the budget in the months to come.
The approximately $141 million spending plan represents a 5 percent increase over the current year, the result of skyrocketing health insurance, retirement, utility and BOCES-related costs, said Superintendent Dr. Robert Dillon.
Though East Meadow is set to receive about $32 million in state aid, up some $1.5 million from last year, it isn't enough to offset the rising expenses, Dillon said. "Through the years, from the 1980s to today, the percentage of state aid in the budget has decreased," he said. "Though politicians have given us more aggregate dollars, it's buying less."
So homeowners have had to pick up the slack in taxes, Dillon said. The tax levy under the proposed 2005-06 budget would increase 5.3 percent, but some homeowners wondered what that would actually mean to them in plain dollars and cents.
"When October bills come in and I see it's not 5 percent, but it's 15 percent, 10 percent, 12 percent more in taxes," said Fiore Federico, an East Meadow resident, who paid $700 in school taxes in 1964 and now pays about $8,500.
Homeowners like Federico have been shocked to see that tax-levy increases have translated into much higher jumps in their tax bills. "Even though it's 5 percent, the dollar amount keeps going up tremendously," said David Jaffe, an East Meadow resident with children in the school.
The difference can be attributed to annual shifts in the base proportion, which determines how the tax burden in a community is distributed among the four classes of property - homes, apartments, businesses and utilities. "For the last few years the shift has been from business onto homeowners," Dillon said. "I didn't do that; it's just the reality."
Residential property values in East Meadow have increased sharply, according to the Nassau County assessor's office, jumping from an average of $288,300 to $353,000 in just one year, a 22.4 percent increase. Since the value of residential properties has outpaced commercial property, homeowners have had to assume more of the tax burden. Under the 2005-06 budget, the 5.3 percent tax levy increase will actually result in a 7.3 percent increase on the average homeowner's tax bill.
In years past, East Meadow and other school districts provided tentative tax rates when disclosing their budgets. The tax rate is the cost per $100 of a home's assessed value, which enables residents to estimate how much they'll owe in school taxes if they vote in favor of a budget.
Claiming that shifts in the base proportion and other factors beyond its control now make it impossible to project a tax rate, the school district no longer provides it. "[The Nassau County assessor] has all the information to provide the tax rate for all four classes of property for the 56 school districts in Nassau County," said Deputy Superintendent Leon Campo. "Why doesn't he do it?"
But the East Meadow School District had the necessary information to project a tax rate at last week's budget presentation, even though it didn't, said Randolph Yunker, spokesman for Nassau County Assessor Harvey Levinson. Residents would pay roughly $312 per $100 of their home's assessed value under the 2005-06 budget, Yunker said (001). The average East Meadow home has an assessed value of $1,765, which would mean about $5,500 in taxes.
"People don't care if it's the county, the school or whoever," Federico said. "People are going to go in that booth and vote on the budget based on [a 5.3 percent] increase, but that number's not right. It gives a false impression to people."
Others in attendance expressed concerns that the district and teachers union still haven't reached an agreement on a new contract. The old one expired Aug. 31, 2004.
The East Meadow School District has budgeted about $60 million in its 2005-06 spending plan for instructional salaries, but some are worried that a new contract could raise pay even higher, necessitating a bigger tax increase.
Campo said he doesn't anticipate that happening, and that the school district has already factored in a potential salary increase in the budget. "We use our best judgment and set our budget," Campo said. "We'd like to do right by our staff and kids and taxpayers."
Meanwhile, it doesn't appear that a teachers' contract will be hammered out anytime soon. Though both sides met through the night with the state-appointed mediator on May 2, and were to meet again Thursday, no significant progress has been reported. "We've discussed all the proposals, but there haven't been responses to all of them," said John Gallagher, president of the East Meadow Teachers Association.
This is the longest negotiation ever over a teachers' contract in the East Meadow School District. In 1990 and 1996, negotiations stretched into March, Gallagher said. "We're not proud of that," Campo said. "But, it takes two to tango."
The school budget vote is Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the five elementary schools.
Figure out your tax bill
If the 2005-06 budget passes, East Meadow homeowners will have to pay about $312 for every $100 of their home's assessed value in taxes, according to tentative figures from the Nassau County assessor's office.
The tax rate is so much higher than last year because the county changed the way a home's assessed value is determined in the equation. Last year, it was 1 percent of its fair market value. This year, it's one-half of a percent, which has significantly increased the amount residents must pay on every $100 of their homes' assessed values.
Here's how to figure what your school tax bill would be under the proposed 2005-06 school budget:
1) Multiply your home's fair market value by .005 to determine its assessed value. For instance, $350,000 X .005 = $1,750
2) Divide that number by 100. $1,750/100 = 17.5
3) Multiply that number by $312 and that's roughly what you can expect to pay on your school tax bill. $312 X 17.5 = $5,460
Brian Kalish contributed to this story.
Comments? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
