Did Your Tax Assessment Go Up or Down?

[SabreTooth]

I recently read these two articles and wonder did our taxes really go down? Let's take a poll. I'll be the first to say my tax assessment went up $12,000!

By Thomas J. Dolan NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 11/06/07 6:36 AM
The only complaint about the budget was offered by Town Councilman Thomas M. Johnson, who charged that the town was burdening homeowners and helping businesses by shifting more taxes to residents and away from commercial properties.
Over the past decade, Johnson said, the town’s assessment practices have created a dramatic increase in valuations of residential properties and a corresponding drop in the total valuations of commercial properties.

Rogowski On Cheektowaga: An Example Of Good Government
Written by Glenn Gramigna, Editor
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Taxes Down 2.6% In Cheektowaga With Excellent Services Maintained.
If you're looking for an example of good government in WNY, you wouldn't do bad by traveling up the 33 to Cheektowaga. While other towns worry over the annual attempt to balance their budget and provide needed services while keeping taxes down, they are doing it at the corner of Broadway and Union.
Could the same thing happen in your town?
"This year we've just passed a budget with a 2.6% property tax decrease," reports town board member Jim Rogowski. "We also had a tax decrease in the budget last year too. And, all this while maintaining the quality services that the people of Cheektowaga want and deserve. "
Almost All Cheektowagans See Their Taxes Cut
"The result is that out of the 35,000 parcels of land in Cheektowaga, 30,000 of those home owners will experience a tax decrease," Councilman Rogowski adds. "Of the remaining 5,000, only 5% of that group will have to deal with an increase of any great size."

[WNYresident]

I'll say BS.

My assessment has gone up after arguing about it about $35,000 since we bought the house in 9 years. The first assessment a couple of years after we purchased the house went up $59,000 but we argued it down. I think we have been assessed about 3 times so far. The last assessment is higher than the actual appraised value of the house. We paid two different appraisers (Sp.) to have some material to argue with when we went to our hearing.

I would like a new driveway but it's not going to happen. That will add more the "value" of the house and I'm not happy paying $5000 a year as it is now in taxes. It's silly to keep your house up because you'll end up paying for it the rest of your life. What's the point.

[crabapples]

Sad but true. Add a new roof on your house so that it doesnt leak and violate all sorts of codes and your assessment goes up. Not that it really matters if you violate housing codes in Cheektowaga. The housing inspector/code violation department does nothing. Has anyone been through Cedargrove lately? Siding falling off houses, garbage everywhere. A house that caught on fire 6 months ago is still sitting there with plywood on it. No one has been to the house since the fire. How long do we wait until it gets knocked down? Shouldnt the town write these owners tickets for violations? Will it take some kids fooling around by it and get hurt to fonally do something?

Oooh look over here, we lowered the tax rate. We increased services and added more positions to the town.....

Dont mind the assessment increases over there. We didnt raise your taxes, your assessment went up. The old shell game or smoke in mirrors. Either one will work in Cheektowaga.

[wazooo86]

that's the way the town and the schools say they didn't raise taxes . What happened to the taxpayers revolt

[mesue]

...What happened to the taxpayers revolt

Oh! Was THAT what the election was for?

[mesue]

...Dont mind the assessment increases over there. We didnt raise your taxes, your assessment went up. The old shell game or smoke in mirrors. Either one will work in Cheektowaga.

And they get praised for it to boot! How do ya' like that?

[atotaltotalfan2001]

that's the way the town and the schools say they didn't raise taxes . What happened to the taxpayers revolt

There never really was one. After the Erie County fiscal meltdown, our property and sales taxes went up! Some people called it a tax revolt, but if it was, we lost.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

I recently read these two articles and wonder did our taxes really go down? Let's take a poll. I'll be the first to say my tax assessment went up $12,000!

By Thomas J. Dolan NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 11/06/07 6:36 AM
The only complaint about the budget was offered by Town Councilman Thomas M. Johnson, who charged that the town was burdening homeowners and helping businesses by shifting more taxes to residents and away from commercial properties.
Over the past decade, Johnson said, the town’s assessment practices have created a dramatic increase in valuations of residential properties and a corresponding drop in the total valuations of commercial properties.

I don't understand why the town is shifting the tax burden to residents from commercial properties. That makes no sense at all. Cheektowaga has very health tax base because of Galleria and other businesses. Why aren't they paying their fair share?

[WNYresident]

I don't understand why the town is shifting the tax burden to residents from commercial properties. That makes no sense at all. Cheektowaga has very health tax base because of Galleria and other businesses. Why aren't they paying their fair share?

developers help officials get elected.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

developers help officials get elected.

Maybe. I'm also willing to bet that developers/commercial property owners threaten to take their business elsewhere if their tax burden isn't decreased. Bye bye jobs.

[wazooo86]

or they contribute to campigns

[crabapples]

Maybe AlexMaryvale has a little more insight on this?

[knowsitall]

The ONLY reason is because the Cheek Council folds to those that bitch the most: the senior citizens and the business owners. The regular residents just take it, well, you know where.....

[mikenold]

"This year we've just passed a budget with a 2.6% property tax decrease," reports town board member Jim Rogowski. "We also had a tax decrease in the budget last year too. And, all this while maintaining the quality services that the people of Cheektowaga want and deserve. "

My assesssment has gone up approximately 30% in 10 years. If this isn't a tax increase then we should probably blame the schools for poor mathematics instruction. Its funny, but the reason they can say decrease is because "suprise", in an election year, I recieved a reduction of about 1.5% in my assessment. Boy did those taxes go down just in time to keep our wonderful elected officers in office for another term. Amazing! And absolutely frustrating to any thinking person. Although, living in the village of Depew, I probably shouldn't complain because my cheektowaga taxes pay for all the services I recieve from the town. None, nada, zilch, 0, no return on my tax dollar. Really, i am not bitter.