By Chris Munzing
The first resolution concerned a decision made by the school board in 1982. That decision grouped three of the four property tax classes -- condo/co-ops, utilities and commercial properties--into one class. At the time, this was beneficial to the condo and business owners because most of the tax burden was placed on the utilities.
The recent property reassessment by Nassau County, however, gave the utilities a drastic tax reduction, dropping their school tax contribution in the district from $13 million to a mere $700,000. The slack was left to be picked up by the other two classes, the local condo/co-op and business owners.
"We didn't expect the utilities to drop from $13 million to $700,000," said schools Superintendent Dr. Ronald Friedman.
Unaffected by all this were the Class 1 properties, residences of two or fewer units. Any tax bill adjustment that is done in the school district will not affect Class 1 property.
The decision to unlump the classes came after many outraged condo/co-op and business owners came forward to complain about outrageous school tax bills, which in some cases increased more than 300 percent. One small business owner at the board meeting Tuesday night said that the sudden and drastic increase in his tax bill would force him to close his business because he just doesn't have the money to pay it.
The resolution to separate the classes, however, will not affect the current tax bills that have caused so much controversy. Instead, it is designed to prevent such an occurrence in the future.
The second action taken by the board is an attempt to remedy the current situation the district is facing. The school board's much publicized battle to obtain figures from the County Assessor approximating what a new assessment would look like, in addition to trying to fast-track any possible new legislation in Albany, has been met with bureaucratic red tape at every turn, Friedman said, calling the battle "frustrating." Phone calls have not been returned, promises not kept and people are still without answers, he charged.
The strongly worded resolution adopted on Tuesday night states: "That the Long Beach Board of Education demands the New York State Legislature take corrective action that would result in school tax relief for the owners of condominiums, cooperatives and small businesses in the City of Long Beach for the tax year 2003-2004."
Essentially, this is the school board's only course of action, for it is the state Legislature that must get the ball rolling. "At some point, you need to give up ownership," said Friedman. "The Legislature has to buy it and make it law."
Should the Legislature adopt the resolution to push the process forward, the appropriate parties, specifically the Office of Real Property Services in Albany, the Nassau County Legislature, the Nassau County Assessor's Office and the Town of Hempstead's Receiver of Taxes, would be compelled to address the situation immediately once it becomes it law.
Friedman was adamant that he and the school board would not rest until the tax bills have been adjusted and all Long Beach residents are satisfied. Whatever the school board needs to do will be done, Friedman said.
"We want redress for our people," he said.
