by Jennifer Marino
Previously, the assessed value of a house was set at 1 percent of its full value. On this most recent assessment, a calculation of 0.5 percent of a house's full value yielded its assessed value.
It's a gimmick, said Michael Gold, who in the past has taken out ads in the Herald encouraging Rockville Centre residents to vote down school budgets. Even if assessments are reduced, the amount of money that has to be raised by taxes remains the same, Gold argues. The county simply adjusts the tax rate in order to raise the money.
The school district is worried that the increases residents are seeing in their taxes due to reassessment will influence them come school budget vote time. The other problem that Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Johnson sees with this latest round of assessments is that they are sending a message to residents that they were assessed incorrectly, but that nothing will change until 2005.
Taxpayers had until Nov. 21 to file forms
asking that their assessments be revised. Beginning Jan. 2, however, residents must file formal grievances to get their assessments changed.
Joe Zaccaria is one Rockville Centre resident who plans to do just that. He has seen his taxes increase 100 percent since he moved into the village eight years ago. He plans to use the paperwork from a recent refinancing of his home to fight his assessment. He has seen the assessments of similar homes go up and down. Where's the equity? he said.
Besides his own issues about reassessment, Zaccaria fears that increased taxes will force people out of Nassau County. Reassessment has made for some unpleasant cocktail conversation, he said.
I don't know who you can put the blame on, Zaccaria said. Like Gold, he feels that the school district could reduce its budget. Many of the factors impacting this year's budget, however, were beyond the district's control, such as major increases in health insurance and retirement plans and a decrease in state aid.
The school district plans to meet with newly elected county assessor Harvey Levinson to discuss the assessments. According to the still unofficial results of the Nov. 4 election, Levinson will replace the incumbent, Charles O'Shea, but a recount is still being conducted.
Both Gold and Zaccaria feel that there will have to be a grass-roots movement among residents to garner any assessment or tax reform.
