Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Taxes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Owego board adopts local law authorizing override of New York's 2% property tax cap
Summary
The Village of Owego trustees voted to adopt a local law allowing the municipality to override New York State's 2% property tax cap, after a brief public hearing in which residents urged caution and asked for alternatives to taxation.
The Village of Owego Board of Trustees voted on a motion to adopt a local law authorizing the village to override New York State's 2% property tax cap, the board announced during its meeting after a public hearing on the subject.
During the hearing, residents urged caution. Laurie Young of 22 Fulton Street said she opposed overriding the cap, citing elderly homeowners and other residents living on fixed incomes who already face rising costs for food, gas and medical care. "They don't need 1 more thing to fear," Young said in public comment.
Board members discussed the procedural reasons municipalities sometimes adopt an override law: it preserves the option to exceed the statutory cap in an emergency or if assessment shifts make budgets infeasible. Trustees said adopting the local law does not mean they intend to raise taxes, but that it would leave a legal mechanism in place should the village need it.
A trustee moved to adopt the local law; the motion was seconded and the trustees present answered in the affirmative when the mayor called for a voice/roll call. The presiding officer stated the motion carried and the board closed the public hearing. The board did not take immediate further budget action at the meeting and said budgetary decisions remain part of the upcoming budget process.
Next steps: trustees said the law will be filed consistent with state procedures; any future decision to raise taxes would be made through the regular budget process and public notice.
