Moving right along, look for the Re-Val RFP (Request for Proposal) to be posted on the Town of Mamaroneck website the week of May 9th, 2011. We took some extra time discussing a "warranty" suggested by our Town Attorney to incentivise the contractor to do a good job. We
also decided to offer an amnesty to homeowners whose homes my have been "improved" but without appropriate permitting. This will be done in order to encourage as many homeowners as possible to admit the re-val teams into their homes, thus ensuring the most accurate valuations.
We are in the early stages of coming up with a "tire booting" program for scofflaws. Stay tuned.
The Town Democratic Party is starting to screen potential candidates for Town Supervisor and Councilperson who will be running in this fall's election. Interested candidates should contact the Chair of the Town Democratic Party, Roz Weinstein, (914) 834-7733 rozweinstn@aol.com or Fred Baron, chair of the screening panel, (914) 834-0876 highridge@pipeline.com
Lots of Memorial Day week events are planned including two parades and a few different services.
Wednesday, May 25th at 3:00pm Kemper Memorial Essay Contest in the lobby outside the multi-tiered classroom of Mamaroneck HS followed by a ceremony at the Richard Kemper Park Monument.
Thursday, May 26th 7:00pm Larchmont- Mamaroneck Memorial Day Parade.
Sunday, May 29th, 11:00am Monument Park on Myrtle Blvd. Sponsored by American Legion Post #347
Monday, May 30th, 9:00am, VFW Ceremony at Tompkins Park, Vill. of Mamaroneck
Monday, May 30th, 5:00pm Parade, Mamaroneck Post #90, from Mamaroneck Ave. School, down Mamaroneck Ave. ending at the Honor Roll on Prospect Ave. across from the American Legion Building.
posted by Ernie Odierna @ 11:33 AM
6 Comments:
Reading about this Re-Val RFP thing, the Town can choose any bidder rather than lowest bidder, has little confidence that a good job will be done by them and that the project goals will be met but it is trying to buy away residents' constitution fourth amendment right about unreasonable search. How much of our tax money is the Town expecting to throw into this thing?
"Roz Weinstein, (914) 834-7733 rozweinstn@aol.com or Fred Baron, chair of the screening panel, (914) 834-0876 highridge@pipeline.com" should be hearing from a lot of residents.
We want to do it right and not cut corners but not go overboard either. We are estimating between $1 & $2 million. If the quotes come in much above that we will need to re-think what we are trying to do or how we are going about it. No one will be forced or coerced to open up their homes but, if they don't, then their assessment will be based on "comparable" home sales in the area. Every homeowner will be given an ample opportunity to "protest" their assessment before it is finalized. We are just trying to make it fair. It is not planned to be a source of additional tax revenue. I just heard from a real estate person who recently sold 2 houses. One went for 2.7 million and the other for 1.4 million. They were both being taxed at $18,000 a year. That's not fair.
Ernie
Ernie, so good that you’re reactivating your blog and that a few are joining in to comment. As you’ve provided a variety of good information on many topics, it’s too bad that more are not aware of it – is that fair?
Equity, always an interesting discussion. One that should be discussed, more often. That’s fair.
Mixing terms, such as forced and coerced, compared with amnesty or incentivized. Would that be fair?
The home that sold or $1.4M and the one that sold for $2.7M. Doesn’t the Town know about these and could it not notify homeowners to meet with its Assessor to resolve the apparent inequity on an upcoming assessment roll? Sounds like a Grievance in the making, with a someone representing the higher taxed homeowner making significant money. What might be fair?
Was the situation very different last year, or the year before or ten years ago and did the Town do enough about it at those times? Has it been fair?
That home for $2.7M or a similar one, was it nicely staged for sale and paid for with stock option gains taxed at a low rate? That home for $1.4M or a similar one, were the walls in need of painting, having older furnishings, and sold below fair- market-value, the long-time owners being compelled to sell and move because they could no longer afford to pay the taxes? Is it fair?
Do the owners of the two homes or similar ones taxed similarly have different impacts on the Town’s environment, treat it with the different responsibility and have different costs to the Town? Do their taxes reflect any such differences? If not, would it be fair?
Perhaps the new owners of the $2.7M home pay substantially more (or less) in income taxes or a higher (or lower) rate than the new owners of the $1.4M home. Is that fair?
In some places real estate taxes are set at times-of-sales, in some places at market-value periodically, and in some places some personal property is included in property taxes. Is that fair?
Suppose the Town implemented an income tax and became less dependent on the real property tax and its related complex and judgmental processes? Would that be simpler, less expensive - and would it be fair?
Equity is great, assuming that there was agreement on what was meant by equity, and the goal of equity makes for a powerful argument. But, in this case, you indicate that some have doubts as to whether equity even will be achieved, and even then, is this one problem being solved or one just one being pushed down the road into another intersection? Is that fair?
Interesting point.
When is fair, fair?
Seems the Town thinks fair is worth $1-million to $2-million. Else it may not worth being fair. Or the Town could be assuming that it's buying fair in that price range.
I think the Town also said something about charging for garbage collection in addition to taxes and base it on the amount each home threw out because that would make it fair. Anyway it would add to what the Town collected (pun intended).
So I'll add one to your interesting questions:
Is politics fair?
You raise some interesting questions about the word "fair." You can look at virtually every thing around us and question the "fairness" of it all. Some folks have to work many more hours a day than others while earning a lot less. Perhaps the more fortunate were born into families that helped provide them with educational and job opportunities that others were not.
It has often been said that "life" is not fair.
It's not that if the cost of re-val comes in somewhat more than what we are expecting we intend to "scrap" the whole idea, but rather re-evaluate how we go about achieving an assessment role that more accurately reflects the comparable home values in our Town.
Politics, by the way, is often "unfair" in that "timing" plays a major role in the outcome of elections. An elected official could have worked hard and effectively for his or her constituents but due to no fault of their own, the head of their ticket or overriding State or Federal issues may have a major impact on the success or failure of their re-election. Just like in real estate, it's location, location, location, in politics, timing is everything.
Ernie
Great discussion!
In real estate they do say location, location, location. While timing, timing, timing is critical. Industry insiders often speak of the seasonality of real estate sales. Economists will point to that as well as years and economic and political events.
In politics many say timing is everything. While location, location, location is often critical. Political insiders will expend considerable effort on re-districting, as is being done in NY now, to assure the most favorable borders for their candidates’ representation location.
Great irony!
After almost 50 years, the Town attempts to “re-val” its real estate amidst all of the Town’s various locations, at a timing when data for such is more of a moving target than at any other point in those almost 50 years.
Is there any truth to plans for County-wide “re-val” shortly after the Town’s and is that the alternative if the price to the Town doing it is higher than expected? Or is this the timing of politics?
Best of luck, and thanks, in providing the public education that has been missing on this topic as well as the other items you've mentioned in your postings!
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