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Thread: Lancaster to see significant county tax increase

  1. #31
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by grump View Post
    WNY, in San Francisco, Seattle and a bunch of western cities they’ve solved the sewer problem by encouraging people to **** in the streets. The pathetic old woman who thinks she’s a Cherokee who is running in the Democratic Totalitarian primary supports this.
    I saw that... Here's the $64,000 question. If Warren in the DNC candidate will the active ecdems members support her for 2020.

  2. #32
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    Hey yaksplat, thanks for sharing.

    Got my tax bill today. Some things are clear, some not so much. I was fortunate to have received copies of tax bills from two other Town of Lancaster taxpayers who are equally confused; and angry at Poloncarz. I can tell you this:

    Like you all three of us saw an overall tax bill increase between 5.41 to 5.92% - based on different property assessments.

    Like you we all experienced a 12.3% increase in the county tax. If you examine your tax bill the tax amount due is based on the tax rate X your current assessment. It is the county tax rate determination that escapes me – as the market value rate has been set according to a more realistic 100% market sales rate.

    I have to talk to an assessor to find out what formula is being used that led us to pay such a high increase – highest I have experienced in years. I well understand our drop in the level of assessment (equalization rate has dropped from 85 to 77), but still.

    In the Buffalo News article on the confusion involved, the following was written:

    Erie County's tax levy has risen every year since 2004.

    A property tax rate only reflects the dollar amount in taxes charged for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.
    When the county executive and legislators talk about a lower county tax rate, they are referring to the “full value tax rate,” which is $4.71, down 13 cents from last year.

    That sounds like a big decrease. After all, the county tax rate hasn't fallen by that much in nearly 20 years.

    But the "full value tax rate" is the rate the county would charge property owners assuming all homes are assessed at what they are really worth.
    In reality, few properties have assessments that match their true market values.

    Cheektowaga, by comparison, has a county tax rate of $5.45 this year. That seems a lot better than Elma's, but Cheektowaga's state equalization rate fell from 93 to 85. So those residents saw their county tax rate grow by nearly 9%.

    To complicate matters further, the county also tacks additional charges onto tax bills for certain community college fees and Erie County Board of Elections operations.



    Confusing indeed. I would also love to hear someone question the town board at the next meeting for clarification.

    BTW - Why is the county rate based on property market value when all residents of a municipality share equally in the services provided by the county?

  3. #33
    Member gorja's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Lee Chowaniec:
    From the BufNews article
    But the "full value tax rate" is the rate the county would charge property owners assuming all homes are assessed at what they are really worth.
    In reality, few properties have assessments that match their true market values.

    Cheektowaga, by comparison, has a county tax rate of $5.45 this year. That seems a lot better than Elma's, but Cheektowaga's state equalization rate fell from 93 to 85. So those residents saw their county tax rate grow by nearly 9%.
    Their numbers makes no sense. Cheektowaga's equalization rate fell 8.6% and the county tax rate went up 9%
    Lancaster's equalization rate fell 9.4% and the county tax rate went up 12.3%.

    Why does the one town with 100% full value assessment rate not have the $4.71 tax rate that was touted?

    Georgia L Schlager

  4. #34
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    Folks, stop trying to divine anything from that News article. When trained assessors can’t understand and explain the assessment system how hard do you think it is for Poloncarz’s posse to lead some clown at the News around by the Willy? There is only one line in that whole article that matters, only one line you need to understand and that explains everything...”Erie County’s tax levy has risen every year since 2004.” There you have it. All the talk about equalization rates, market value assessment & so on is smoke and mirrors.

  5. #35
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    GRUMP!!!

    What do you mean? The county lowered the tax rate!!!!!!! That's good thing!!!!

  6. #36
    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    GRUMP!!!

    What do you mean? The county lowered the tax rate!!!!!!! That's good thing!!!!
    Surely you must be writing that in irony, eh Res?

    My county tax rate went from 5.1% in 2019 to over 5.8% in 2020.

    I don't know how the county is defining increase vs. decrease, but I am paying nearly $70 more in county tax this year as opposed to 2019.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

  7. #37
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by mark blazejewski View Post
    Surely you must be writing that in irony, eh Res?

    My county tax rate went from 5.1% in 2019 to over 5.8% in 2020.

    I don't know how the county is defining increase vs. decrease, but I am paying nearly $70 more in county tax this year as opposed to 2019.

    Total irony.

    They are being very disingenuous on the topic. They are not lying. The rate went down. They just leave out the part with higher assessments you end up paying more. You know it's BS and I know it's BS. It's the total on the bottom of the bill that counts.

  8. #38
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Here's my question. WHy are they so insistent to spend our money? There is no justification for 1/2 of what it's spent on and the other 1/2 should be spent in our best interest not like it's an unlimited piggy bank.

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by grump View Post
    Folks, stop trying to divine anything from that News article. When trained assessors can’t understand and explain the assessment system how hard do you think it is for Poloncarz’s posse to lead some clown at the News around by the Willy? There is only one line in that whole article that matters, only one line you need to understand and that explains everything...”Erie County’s tax levy has risen every year since 2004.” There you have it. All the talk about equalization rates, market value assessment & so on is smoke and mirrors.
    Well Grump, the plot thickens. I have all my Town of Lancaster tax bills from 1996. Did some checking from 2004 to 2020 and discovered the following:

    There was one year that the county tax levy did decrease – 2013; from 217,820,374 to 215,098,371.

    During 2004-2020 period my county tax bill decreased 4 times.

    There was a 6-year period where they remained stable (within $10) - 2011 to 2016.

    In the 2004 – 2020 timeframe my county service tax increased by 86.4%.

    In the 2004 – 2020 timeframe my Town of Lancaster tax increased by 39%.

    From 2017 when the equalization rate dropped to 92 and where it now stands at 77*, my county tax increased by 21.7% - by 12.3% this year alone. So, I would have to believe the ‘level of assessment’ plays a big role in the rate determination.

    What does this all mean? S***! We have to pay the damn tax. Should Poloncarz get cut some slack for his disingenuous presentation? Nah, he knows better.

    *Equalization rate (LOA)

    2019 - 77.00
    2018 - 88.00
    2017 - 92.00
    2016 - 95.00
    2015 - 98.00
    2014 - 100.00
    2013 - 100.00
    2012 - 100.00
    2011 - 100.00
    2010 - 100.00 (Last reassessment)

  10. #40
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    So there was a calculation error in the bills.

    https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/lo...b-4c37ddcfc2cd

    Is this what caused the high rates?

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by yaksplat View Post
    So there was a calculation error in the bills.

    https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/lo...b-4c37ddcfc2cd

    Is this what caused the high rates?
    Indeed! It explains away my significant increase.

    Thanks, Yaksplat!

  12. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec View Post
    Indeed! It explains away my significant increase.

    Thanks, Yaksplat!
    Yes the 6.79 cents per 1,000 assessed will do that ��

  13. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Roman View Post
    Yes the 6.79 cents per 1,000 assessed will do that ��
    I have to ask is that $6.79 per 1,000 of assessed valuation or just shy of 7 cents per 1,000 of assessed valuation?

    Georgia L Schlager

  14. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by gorja View Post
    I have to ask is that $6.79 per 1,000 of assessed valuation or just shy of 7 cents per 1,000 of assessed valuation?
    7 cents

  15. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by yaksplat View Post
    7 cents
    Don't spend your savings all in one place

    Georgia L Schlager

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