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Public Employee Press
White Papers get action
State probes assessor layoffs
By GREGORY N. HEIRES
The head of the New York State Legislatures property tax committee
is intervening in a dispute at the citys Dept. of Finance, where
DC 37 has charged that staff cuts and inefficiencies have led to hundreds
of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
Assembly member Brian M. McLaughlin, chair of the Real Property Tax
Committee, announced in May that he would conduct the inquiry into the
citys assessment system after the Legislature adjourns in June.
Mr. McLaughlins decision came after several events called public
attention to mismanagement:
- A campaign by Local 1757, Assessors, Appraisers and
Housing Development Specialists. In recent weeks, the local has exposed,
in City Council hearings and the press, how the Finance Departments
decision to let go 20 assessment personnel Assistant City Assessors
and City Assessors represented by the local would lead to a
$20 million loss in revenue.
- The resignation of Linda Yancey, former Assistant Commissioner
of Property. In a resignation letter she sent to the City Council
on April 22, Ms. Yancey charged that the city loses $1 billion a year
because of short staffing and inefficiencies, including a faulty computer
program used for assessing. She recommended that the department hire
100 new Assessors immediately.
- A DC 37 White Paper on the Dept. of Finance. The study
reported that the city could save $3 billion by increasing its assessment
and tax auditing staff, instituting a tax amnesty program, rescinding
the layoffs and keeping two out-of-state tax collection offices that
are slated to be closed.
Mr. McLaughlin told the Public Employee Press June 16
that the committee would conduct roundtable discussions
including all interested parties into allegations of a wide-scale
underestimate of property values. Mr. McLaughlin, DC 37 and Ms. Yancey
arent alone in complaining about lost revenue. The Queens Civil
Congress, an organization of business leaders, homeowners and public
officials, estimates that the city has $1 billion worth of under-assessed
properties. The QCC and the New York City Bar Association have both
called for an overhaul of the assessment system.
Any cuts to the assessing staff will only lead to a further erosion
of the accuracy of the tax roll, Local 1757 President David Moog
testified May 27 at the City Council. We will continue to shine
a light on mismanagement because one of the best ways to protect our
members jobs and taxpayer dollars is to promote good government,
said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts.
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