Media Contact: Randolph Yunker - (516) 571-2490

Dear Homeowner:

Homeowners should be aware of the fact that, beginning with the 2007-2008 Assessment Roll (the first roll not under the jurisdiction of the court), residential property assessments will be capped by 6% for one year and 20% over five years.

This was my first opportunity to do so without being subject to the court order that was implemented during the terms of the former Republican Assessor and County Executive and will be applied to the 2007-2008 Assessment Roll. Unfortunately, when the previous administration agreed to assess properties, in March 2000, at its fair market value, they did so without the benefit of a gradual phase-in of values.

When I assumed office in January 2004, I called upon the State Senate and Assembly to enact legislation that would moderate school property tax increases in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 through a multi-year phase-in. While my legislative initiative passed unanimously in the Assembly, it was left to die in a Senate committee.

It is unfortunate that a number of homeowners are now paying the price for the Senate's neglect and that the facts surrounding annual reassessment have been overshadowed by election-year rhetoric.

The fact remains that annual assessments reflect Nassau County's escalating real estate market.

While the property values have increased dramatically in Nassau County over the past few years, so has school district spending. Unfortunately, assessment increases are often blamed for all tax hikes to divert taxpayer frustration and scrutiny from increasing budgets.

My responsibility, as assessor, is to determine the fair market value of a home based on what a willing purchaser would pay for that home at a specific point in time. I do not set operating budgets, mail out tax bills or collect taxes. Assessed values that are applied to each class of property in a school district reflect how much value there is in the district to tax.

Clearly, the assessed value of one's property is not an indicator of that person's ability to pay taxes. That is why I have urged that a State committee be charged with reviewing the possibility of ending the school property tax and replacing it with a modest school income tax.

The school property tax system is broken. Republican and Democratic Members of the Assembly and Senate throughout the State of New York recognize this. The next step is to conduct an honest and bipartisan debate to help our overtaxed families who struggle to pay their school property taxes.

Until that debate begins, I will continue my efforts to enhance the methods that are used to set the values of a home so that it accurately and fairly reflects increases or decreases in the real estate market on an annual basis.

Sincerely,

HARVEY B. LEVINSON
Chairman, Board of Assessors