Recently, State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck) announced that she will retire from the New York State Senate at the end of her term this December. Since her announcement, it has been widely reported that State Assemblyman George Latimer (D-Rye) is actively considering a run for this seat.
While Westchester Taxpayers criticized Senator Oppenheimer for missing the 2008 vote on a state property tax cap and voting for billions of dollars in higher state taxes and spending in 2009 and 2010, at least Senator Oppenheimer ultimately voted for Governor Cuomo’s property tax cap last year.
In contrast, Assemblyman Latimer voted against Governor Cuomo’s property tax cap in 2011 and, before that, eliminated the New Rochelle property tax cap in 2005. For Westchester Taxpayers in New Rochelle, Assemblyman Latimer’s efforts to eliminate the New Rochelle property tax cap were coupled with an increase in the local sales tax.
Thanks to Assemblyman George Latimer, Westchester Taxpayers in New Rochelle have paid $4 million more in property taxes than they would have paid if he had not eliminated the cap and pay $9 million per year in higher local sales taxes.
According to a May 2003 article in the New York Times, “New Rochelle’s tax cap was put into effect in 1993, and prohibits city taxes from being raised more than the consumer price index. The cap was imposed in exchange for a 1 percent increase in sales tax, which brings in about $9 million a year.” In June 2005, the Journal News noted that “[t]he restriction was the idea of former Assemblyman Ronald Tocci, who continually insisted that the city agree to the restriction in exchange for his needed support for the extra sales tax.”
The New Rochelle property tax cap was eliminated by legislation that the Journal News (June 2005) reported was “introduced at Latimer’s request.”
For Westchester Taxpayers, Assemblyman Latimer’s vote against Governor Cuomo’s property tax cap wasn’t a surprise. His record clearly indicates that he’s opposed to capping property taxes, even in the nation’s highest taxed county.
The Journal News | Ken Valenti
New Rochelle – The cap that has limited property-tax increases for more than a decade moved closer than ever to being lifted completely last night after freshman state Assemblyman George Latimer came out against it.
The Rye Democrat, whose district covers much of New Rochelle, announced last night that he would support lifting the cap, which ties property-tax increases to the consumer price index, while still allowing New Rochelle to collect an extra penny-per-dollar sales tax.
A bill to make that happen, introduced at Latimer’s request, is expected to be voted on by the end of the legislative session tomorrow.
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, whose district includes the rest of New Rochelle said she would vote against the bill, but even she predicted it would pass.
“I don’t believe the measure will be defeated,” she said. A defeat of the bill would cost New Rochelle an additional sales-tax source that brought in $9 million last year.
Paulin had introduced another bill that would have allowed the sales tax to continue and would have kept the property-tax cap in place, but would have greatly modified it, exempting the costs of police, fire protection and sanitation services from the limit. That bill – with a matching Senate bill from Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx – could not come to a vote by the legislature, because it would require a formal request, or home-rule request, from the New Rochelle City Council.
The council previously had sent a home-rule request supporting Latimer’s bill and corresponding Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck.
“Absent a clear and present fiscal crisis … it is inappropriate for one level of government to impose this constraint on another level of government,” Latimer said in a page-long, single-spaced statement read to the New Rochelle City Council last night by Latimer’s chief of staff Deborah Chapin.
Mayor Timothy Idoni was encouraged by Latimer’s decision.
“We are very pleased with his action,” Idoni said, adding that he hoped the cap could be lifted “and the city can move on with its business.”
Latimer said he made his decision as he voted for bills allowing other counties and communities around the state to continue collecting similar extra sales tax. None of those communities was required to accept a property-tax cap, even though local newspapers showed that there were controversies in those areas about how local officials spent money.
Supporters of the tax cap said it was effective taxpayer protection against a local government that poorly managed the city. Idoni and City Council members who opposed the cap had long defended their running of the city, and said the city should be able to set its own tax rate without interference from Albany.
Paulin said she stood by the idea that she and Klein supported.
“I still believe that a compromise is better for the city and better for taxpayers,” she said.
Klein, arguing that his bill protected taxpayers, said he would vote against Oppenheimer’s bill, even though a defeat of the bill would cost New Rochelle millions of dollars a year, much of which probably would have to be made up with higher property taxes.
Councilman Michael Boyle, the only council member to support the cap, said he was disappointed by Latimer’s decision.
“I believe he is turning his back on the overwhelming number of taxpayers in his district who support the tax cap,” he said.
Boyle said he would not have favored Paulin’s and Klein’s bills either, because the essentially left no protection for taxpayers.
The Journal News
New Rochelle – I would like to thank Assemblyman George Latimer for turning his back on the middle- and working-class families as well as the senior citizens of his district in New Rochelle. His vote to life the tax-cap protection on city taxes was very disappointing. Further disillusioning was his political machination to hide from his constituents his voting decision until the 11th hour and his refusal to acknowledge, until exposed, that he initiated two contradicting tax-cap legislation bills to the Assembly committee to appease both sides.
Mr. Latimer’s actions during this entire tax-cap debacle are extremely troubling in light of his statement on his May 29 WVOX radio program. During his discussion of the tax cap, Mr. Latimer described his parents as members of the working middle class who probably would not have been able to afford a home in New Rochelle or be able to pay the taxes! In New Rochelle, he often attends and schmoozes with many at our social celebrations, shaking our hands, nodding sympathetically and patting our backs. Yet here he is a month later, ignoring his roots and the concerns and the sense of powerlessness of these same groups. When we needed a champion to stand and deliver on this important issue of the tax cap, we got words, more words, non-commitment and finally betrayal!
Assemblyman Latimer disregarded his constituents and showed his true colors of political self-preservation and fear of the wrath of the New Rochelle mayor and the majority on City Council.
Frank Domizio
June 2005
The Journal News
My consistent support of New Rochelle’s tax-cap legislation is crystal clear. Equally clear is my contempt for spineless politicians who play both sides against the middle to posture for political gain. Assemblyman George Latimer’s political shenanigans of promoting contradictory legislation to both preserve and eliminate the tax cap have earned him the disdain of the majority of the New Rochelle constituents he represents. Latimer’s priority of pandering to the Democratic council majority as opposed to representing the vast preponderance of constituents who elected him indicate effective reform in Albany is decades away if at all possible. Latimer never released his much-touted study whose “conclusions are inescapable for all except the most partisan of players.” I am admittedly partisan on this issue and I believe that Latimer’s report either never existed or Latimer could not justify eliminating legislation that produced a $7.4 million surplus. While Latimer may have guaranteed a no-primary campaign in 2006, his tax-cap trickery puts his re-election in question.
The only favorable consequence is Latimer’s future employment scope, which has been enhanced by his political nonsense. Latimer now qualifies for Ripley’s Believe It or Not and Guinness World Record for indecisiveness. Should Latimer decide not to run for re-election or be defeated, he can achieve gainful employment with Ringling Brothers Circus with is perfected fence-sitting performance. Assemblyman George Latimer has redefined dysfunction as it relates to state government.
Anthony Gallette
June 2005
The Journal News | Ken Valenti
NEW ROCHELLE – The state legislature is considering bills that would end the unique cap limits how much New Rochelle can increase its tax rate, while allowing the city to continue collecting an extra penny of sales tax per dollar.
Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck, introduced a Senate bill that would end the cap on June 13.
“I certainly think it will pass withing the next week,” said Oppenheimer, who represents most of New Rochelle. She said she “never thought it proper” to have the cap in place, arguing that local governments should be left to determine what services to offer and how much residents should pay for them.
Sen. Jeffrey Klein, however, said he would not support it.
“I would rather not see us remove the cap,” said the Bronx Democrat, who represents portions of the west and south sections of the city. “I believe that property taxes in Westchester County, including New Rochelle, of course, are high.”
Klein said he would be willing to adjust the cap to exempt the costs of police and fire protection, in addition to exemptions added two years ago for increasing costs of the state employee retirement system.
The bills were introduced this month, allowing the city to continue collecting an extra-penny-per-dollar sales tax without the added limit on property tax rates. But the legislation comes with a mystery in the Assembly version; another bill essentially conflicts with it, calling for the cap to remain while allowing the Oppenheimer-added sales tax to continue.
The bills were both introduced on June 9, one after the other. Both are listed as beign introduced by the Committee on Rules. The Rules committee is chaired by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Silver’s office did not return calls yesterday. The two Assembly members who represent New Rochelle – Deomcrats Amy Paulin and George Latimer – also did not return calls.
After years of asking Albany to remove the cap, Mayor Timothy Idoni was careful not to raise his expectations that the Legislature would finally comply.
“All I can say is, I hope so,” he said yesterday. “We have to get out of the prediction business when it comes to Albany.”
On Tuesday, the City Council voted 6-1 to call on Albany to lift the property tax cap while allowing the city to continue collecting the additional sales tax, which brought in $9 million last year. Councilman Michael Boyle, the lone Republican on the board and a supporter of the tax cap, voted against the measure. He said he still finds strong support for the cap among residents.
“They feel it’s an excellent taxpayer protection,” he said.
In recent years, city officials have struggled with the cap, in one case coming close to shutting a fire house to cut costs.
The restriction was the idea of former Assemblyman Ronald Tocci, who continually insisted that the city agree to the restriction in exchange for his needed support for the extra sales tax.
Popular among many New Rochelle residents, the cap has been a political hot potato for some. Latimer, for instance, refused to take a position on the cap in his election campaign last year. He replaced Tocci, who did not run for re-election.
Boyle said he was curious about who sponsored the bills.
“It just doesn’t happen out of thin air,” he said. “I think it’s important for everybody to know exactly where everybody stands on this.”
Reach Ken Valenti at kvalenti@thejournalnews.com or 914-696-8255.
Tracking Legislation:
The bills concerning the sales tax and the tax cap can be found on the Web sites of the state Senate, www.senate.state.ny.us; and the state Assembly, http://assembly.state.ny.us. The Assembly bill numbers are A8768, which would continue the tax cap and A8769, which would end it. The Senate bill number is S5666.
A8769
2005-2006 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
June 9, 2005
AN ACT to amend the tax law, in relation to extending the authorization of the city of New Rochelle to impose an additional sales and compensating use tax…
Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed the property tax cap into law. Now, school district, county, town, village and special district property tax increases will be capped at the lesser of 2% or the rate of inflation. In addition, the legislation signed by Governor Cuomo eliminates $127 million in unfunded mandates placed on school districts and local governments by Albany.
In the State Assembly, 15 Assemblymembers voted against this legislation. Interestingly, Assemblyman George Latimer (D-Rye) voted against it, even though the measure also contains an expansion of the rent control laws which Latimer has championed in the past. To see the vote results in the Assembly, click on http://www.scribd.com/doc/58987527/Tax-Cap-Assembly-Rollcalls.
In the State Senate, Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck) voted for the bill, but expressed her opposition to the property tax cap. She said, “This is a tough one, because I will be supporting this comprehensive bill. But much like our budgets, I support much of the contents, but I do not support the tax cap provisions.”
While it is incredible that those who represent the county with the nation’s highest property taxes could be opposed to a property tax cap that will ease the crushing burden placed on Westchester homeowners, Governor Cuomo and the overwhelming majority of New York State legislators who supported it deserve the thanks of Westchester Taxpayers.
On Friday, June 30th, Governor Cuomo will hold a ceremonial bill signing in Pleasantville. According to LoHud, “the 1:30 p.m. event will be held in the county with the highest property taxes in the country, and also the governor’s home county.” For more from the Journal News, click on http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2011/06/29/cuomo-to-sign-tax-cap-bill-in-pleasantville/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lohudblogs%2Fpolhudson+%28Politics+on+the+Hudson%29.