Following the unanimous passing of two resolutions at the Monday, Sept. 17, town board meeting, the Clifton Park tax rebate checks are just about in the mail.
The board met the final two legal hurdles to distribute the $150 rebate checks to all homeowners and renters. The first authorized the transfer of $2.25 million from the general fund to the taxpayer rebate program as allocated by a previous resolution, and the second adopted the rules, instructions and application forms created by Assessor Walter Smead for the program’s implementation.
Councilman Scott Hughes, a Republican candidate for town board this November, spearheaded the project.
We’re in a very enviable position here in Clifton Park. We’re debt free. We have no town property tax. We enjoy a healthy surplus, Hughes said. `I think it’s only right and proper that we give a portion of that back to the people of Clifton Park.`
Homeowners can expect to see the checks in their mailbox by early October, while renters will need to fill out an application either online or at the town clerk’s office. A letter by Smead distributed to local apartment complexes announces the rebate to renters. The town is also advertising in local media.
The application asks for the tenant’s name and address, and requires that the applicant has leased a property in the town as of June 1, 2007. The application also requests a signed copy of the renter’s lease.
`The only other thing you have to provide is the first and last page of your lease. We don’t even require the whole thing,` Hughes said. `We just need something; it could even be a letter from your apartment complex.`
Hughes said that renters can expect their checks a few weeks after their completed application is turned in.
`This is going to be a very quick turnaround,` he said. `The company we’re using has been fantastic.`
On its Web site, the town cautions that a Clifton Park mailing address and ZIP code `doesn’t always indicate that your residence is within the town boundaries.` The Web site suggests checking the January tax bill to be sure which town taxes are payable to.
Since the plan was announced earlier this year, local Democrats have consistently charged that the program is politically motivated.
`We’ve had a surplus for seven years, and we come up with a rebate idea on the eve of a close election,` Democratic Party Chairman Todd Kerner has said.
`As a taxpayer I am happy to get money back always. But there is much more efficient, non-political ways of doing it.`
Forms are available in the town clerk’s office at 1 Town Hall Plaza, Clifton Park, 12065 and online at www.cliftonpark.org. For information, call the assessor at 371-6460.
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