The New Rochelle City Council will discuss requesting a voluntary Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) from non-profit institutions at the next council meeting. These include; Sound Shore Medical Center, Iona (Preparatory, Grammar & College), College of New Rochelle and the Ursuline, Salesian & Thornton Donovan schools. While a voluntary public service fee for non-profits has been recommended for over a decade the 800-pound Gorilla in the room remains unscathed…. AVALON. Last year, 115 students were registered from Avalon 1 (255 Huguenot) & Avalon East (40Memorial Highway). These students cost New Rochelle Taxpayers $2.3 million to educate last year. This year, the Avalons have once again exceeded the 58 students calculated in the Final Environmental Impact Study (FEIS) by 86% enrolling 108 students costing taxpayers $2.16 million. When combined with what the Avalons would pay in school taxes at 100% taxation ($7,728,762.14) the burden to New Rochelle taxpayers is almost $10 million.
That’s why New Rochelle is faced with police, fire & DPW terminations as well as service reductions in the upcoming 2012 budget. The City will go hat-in-hand to the non-profits while ignoring multi-million dollar conglomerates and their tenants with disposable income who pay $0 in school taxes while adding 108 students to an already overburdened school district.
The City justifies the voluntary public service fee citing Calls For Service (CFS) from police and fire. This is deja vu to TOTS readers in that 18-months ago I posted an article using that exact premise to debunk Mayor Bramson’s claim of a $7.5 million net benefit from downtown development. My research identified 974 police & fire CFS from the Avalons in 2010;
While I have supported a public service fee for non-profits it is hypocritical that the city is targeting non-profits while allowing multi-million dollar corporations to get off scot-free. The Avalons should be charged double the CFS fee requested of non-profits and pay the associated costs of educating their enrolled students. The fee should also have an annual Consumer Price Index or Cost of Living increase; whichever is greater, moving forward.
The current and past administration is responsible for New Rochelle’s dire state in that they repeatedly changed the zoning code to allow non-profits to expand. This was a double whammy in that not only were taxable properties removed from the tax roll the larger number of students and staff demanded more city services (police, fire, DPW and ambulance responses). Adding insult to injury, these administrations doled out tax abatements to wealthy developers and corporations that will handcuff our grandchildren for the next 20+ years.
Home Depot – 10-Year Tax Abatement
Costco – 10-Year Tax Abatement
New Roc City – 15-Year Tax Abatement
The Avalons – 30-Year Tax Abatement
So the next time you here the Mayor, City Manager or their “independent” auditor state that New Rochelle’s conditions are not unique don’t believe it. If by chance you are naive enough to believe it have the guts to ask what other community doled out 55-years of tax abatements, which ran concurrently at one point, in less then 20-years.
The current and previous administration has recommended reassessment on a countywide level for two reasons. First the costs will be lower and second, everyone needs to pay their “fair share”. Reassessment does not raise $1 in extra property tax so reassessment should not be considered until the last of the freeloaders above are paying their “fair share”!
Is there a court order that I missed?
But do you really think Iona will voluntarily start paying New Rochelle?
I don’t see why they would. Why does anyone think these quasi non-profits are going to start to pay? Is there a court order that I missed?
Iona The Creeping Menace
I would agree there are some positives about Iona.
They have an attractive property.
They maintain there property well.
Now for the negatives.
You ask why ask them for PILOT
How many houses have they taken off the tax roles in the Beachmont area 26?
They should pay Taxes on any properties, they take off the tax rolls!
Thus the Nickname (The Creeping Menace)
Is there a court order that I missed?
I agree, but do you really think Iona will voluntarily start paying New Rochelle?
I don’t see why they would. Why does anyone think these quasi non-profits are going to start to pay? Is there a court order that I missed?
Sorry I was replying to Citizen Observer. Where’s the delete button when you need it!
Jake the Rake and Regina
Jake the Rake and Regina Demassi aww no more free gas, grass seed or flowers from the man in the dark blue Jeep Cherokee. Mr Cox why is Jimmy Bonanno and Sal Poretto still allowed to take their school vehicles home? I’m watching and their still doing it.
Then why is the Fire and
Then why is the Fire and police commissioners allowed to take city vehicles home. It’s an easy answer they are in charge and if a situation arises the fire and police chief respond from home when they are technically “off duty”. Aren’t the two gentlemen above supervisors in the school district? If something happens at one of the schools why shouldn’t they be able to respond directly to the school with the issue instead of driving to City Hall, pick up the vechile, then drive to the school when the school could be around the corner. It’s not like these people are using these cars to cruise new rochelle…no they are using it for official business when official business is needed.
Hey Melillo,
go stick your
Hey Melillo,
go stick your head in the sand…or maybe better, get your head OUT of the sand if you really believe that!
Jake and regina
If you say Jake And Regina Get free Gas and Flowers? From the guy in the blue jeep.
Who is the guy in the jeep?
Who’s gas and flowers are they.
I’m all for exposing corruption In New Ro
But Not defamation of character without you backing it up.
So your grade is an F.
Help the taxpayers, and give it up! If you have it?
Where is John Gallagher??
Where is John Gallagher?? Isn’t he the boss? If so why must he always run and hide behind Mr. Quinn? I’ll tell you why Mr.Cox, the reason is the BOED is like its own little world, like the Vatican City in Rome only its more like Palermo Sicily if you get my drift. For example, you have Tony Costa aka health and safety com. besides him running around with Sandy Annuziatta he got 2 of his cousins jobs in the BOED way ahead of others that had been on the waiting list. Sandy the VP of the Union, her main job is to protect her hubby Andrew no other reason, plain and simple. Because she sure as hell isn’t doing a damn thing for the people shes suppose to be working/fighting for. Martin Dailey Union president, all he does is throws parties at union members expense, even inviting non union members to these bashes, hes usually so drunk he’s oblivious to whats actually going on. Hes got Billy, Tony and Sandy running things back, stabbing people constantly and does nothing about it. There’s the custodians that are getting the students pregnant, James part time Purdie the supposed to be custodian Mgr but hes never around, when you call Gallagher to report it he just covers up for Mr.Purdie. Then you have the asst. custodians at night, they leave the buildings to take 3 hour dinner breaks, you can see them driving all over NR, some ever bring women into the buildings I mean can’t they wait until after work and take them to a hotel. Wheres the night watchman, Godfrey? Home in NJ, hes another waste of the tax payers money. Security guards you ask, well they’re having sex with students!! Who’s checking on them? A principle at IEY school rapes a student, I mean come on!! Some of the other principles break the on a consistent basis and create their own aSSinine rules through out. You have carpenters constantly working over time in the summer, whats with that?? Glazier that goes around feeling up female co workers and you have teachers not teaching!! Look at the drop out rate at NRHS and the graduation rate or lack there of. You have a family suing the BOED because their special needs child was promised services and never received them. So you figure it out!! all of the above mentioned including Jeff Koristoff superintendent, the over paid Don Corleone, ineffective principals,teachers, the murderer working on the grounds crew and the rest of the NR soldiers. WELCOME TO THE QUEEN CITY OF THE SOUND!!!
Pilots, Profits and “Pigheaded Arrogant Stupidity”
Right Anthony.
Seems the Dems have climbed out of their reality-time warp to embrace an idea which has been trumpeted by responsible parties and in responsible forums. What has been most galling about their heretofore refusal to consider prying some voluntary dough out of the non-profits is the sheer arrogance of it! I do not mind if someone doesn’t like an idea, or doesn’t understand it. But to IGNORE what seems to be a simple exercise of logic is the peculiarly arrogant trademark of a legislative majority that is virtually veto-proof and and thinks it is immune to common sense and the proper and legitimate exercise of a “loyal opposition.” Perhaps yesterday’s primary results will cause a further erosion in the New Rochelle city council majority’s callous indifference to the democratic “marketplace of ideas” but don’t bet your life on it.
Who in their right mind would
Who in their right mind would volunteer to pay anything when they don’t have too?
I know these tax breaks and hand-outs are going to cost dearly but why waste time asking for something that’s NEVER going to happen.
NYC charges for “CFS”, why isn’t New Rochelle doing the same. I think the charges go to whoever received the Ambulance ride, not the property owner.
You can ask for non-profits to pay, but why would they?
And Bramson wants to give Forrest City Ratner tax abatements to build Echo Bay while the rest of the city pays off the $25-30 million loan/bond it’ll need to move city yard. It just doesn’t add up.
Is NR’s Plan Now To Drive Out Its Not for Profits?
Isn’t imposing “voluntary” payments on not for profits an awful idea? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Who are the 2 biggest employers in New Rochelle? Correct me if I’m wrong but they’re probably Sound Shore and Iona. if this gets applied, I would not balme either of them for leaving New Rochelle to go to just about any other municipality in the country that does not attempt to extract “voluntary payments” from them or impose taxes on them under the guise of fees. Sure, they would pay them for a while if required but it would only be a matter of time before they left to go to many, many other place that don’t. These efforts to squeeze not for profits are by far the exception around the country. How about trimming spending and focusing on bringing business to New Rochelle, instead of driving out one of it’s few bright spots which have been the bedrock of New Rochelle for decades? if governments used as much ingenuity on thinking of ways to encourage business instead of ways to tax (see, eg, refuse fee, library tax, re-votes after re-votes on denials of school budgets) we might actually bring some real revenue into the City. And by the way there’s probably no one in the City that pays more in employee or social security taxes than the not for profits ( aside of course from New Rochelle’s biggest employer, local government).
Is NR’s Plan Now To Drive Out Its Not For Profits?
Isn’t imposing “voluntary” payments on not for profits an awful idea? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Who are the 2 biggest employers in New Rochelle? Correct me if I’m wrong but they’re probably Sound Shore and Iona. if this gets applied, I would not balme either of them for leaving New Rochelle to go to just about any other municipality in the country that does not attempt to extract “voluntary payments” from them or impose taxes on them under the guise of fees. Sure, they would pay them for a while if required but it would only be a matter of time before they left to go to many, many other place that don’t. These efforts to squeeze not for profits are by far the exception around the country. How about trimming spending and focusing on bringing business to New Rochelle, instead of driving out one of it’s few bright spots which have been the bedrock of New Rochelle for decades? if governments used as much ingenuity on thinking of ways to encourage business instead of ways to tax (see, eg, refuse fee, library tax, re-votes after re-votes on denials of school budgets) we might actually bring some real revenue into the City. And by the way there’s probably no one in the City that pays more in employee or social security taxes than the not for profits ( aside of course from New Rochelle’s biggest employer, local government).