By Hector Flores
This money would cover the taxes not being paid by the Carltun on the Park, a restaurant and catering hall that is on county property in East Meadow¹s Eisenhower Park.
The popular restaurant currently has a lease with the county that exempts it from paying property taxes. However, Levinson reasoned that the although the Carltun is on public property, it is being used for proprietary purposes. As a result, it is not exempt from paying taxes.
"The Carltun is being taxed because it is a catering hall," Levinson said. "We value the catering hall at just shy of $2.9 million, and it should be taxed [according to] the value of the building. So it must pay approximately $150,000 per year to the school district at East Meadow."
Levinson added that the county can challenge his determination by filing an application with the Assessment Review Commission between Jan. 2 and March 1. "The commission can review the assessment to make sure that it is fair, or if the assessor¹s office has the authority to put the Carltun on the tax roles," he said.
Leon Campo, deputy superintendent of the East Meadow School District, said that Levinson was correct in challenging the Carltun's tax-exempt status. "The assessor is challenging the tax-exempt status because it is a profit-making enterprise," Campo said. "The school district has been shortchanged under the current contract with the county, because the Carltun does not pay school taxes. According to the assessor, we are losing $150,000 a year in school taxes. These taxes should be paid by the Carltun to the East Meadow School District. If that were to happen, it would help alleviate the tax burden on our residents."
Campo added that the district administration is exploring legal and other means to assist Levinson in his goal of making sure that the restaurant pays its share of taxes.
Since the county would be required to pay county and Town of Hempstead taxes, Levinson suggested that a payment option be put into effect. "I recognize that this was not an anticipated event, so it might be fair to consider a PILOT [Payment In Lieu of Taxes] program," he said.
If the county were to agree to such a plan, it would only be required to pay the school district tax.
County administrators did not return phone calls for comment, and Carltun owner Anthony Capetola could not be reached.
Nassau County Legislator Norma Gonsalves, a Republican of East Meadow, said that she was not aware of the tax exemption the Carltun had with the county, but said that if the county pays the taxes, it must recoup those funds.
"This is the administration's problem," she said. "A hundred and fifty thousand is a lot of money, and this is something of great concern. ... But we must tread very cautiously. If the burden is going to fall on the county, then the county needs to explore the possibilities of how to recoup the taxes they are asked to pay."
Gonsalves explained that a third of the properties in East Meadow are tax-exempt, so homeowners and the business must pick up the slack. "We are basically a residential community, and the businesses that exist are on Hempstead Turnpike," she said. "Our local home and small business owners are bearing the burden of taxes, and we need relief."
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
