When South Colonie Central School District residents went to the polls Thursday, Oct. 23, school district officials were not anticipating the rejection of a proposition to construct a new press box at the athletic field of Colonie Central High School or the near-rejection of a proposal to add seven new buses to the existing South Colonie bus fleet.
But in the aftermath, an analysis of the voting locations in which one proposal was shot down and another barely passed proved that the motivation behind voters’ decisions most likely was their disappointment with their tax bills.
Residents voted in favor of the bus proposition by only 25 votes (893 votes yes, 868 no), that would come at a cost to Colonie homeowners of $0.025070 per $1,000 of assessed value. Niskayuna homeowners would be responsible for $0.016477 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The press box proposition would have come at no cost to taxpayers, but would have been funded through money saved for the project last year, and would have allowed the district to build a new press facility. The current facility, which houses the electricity for the scoreboard at athletic events, does not meet state safety regulations.
That proposition was voted down by 124 votes (805 yes, 929 no).
The Oct. 23 vote was the first district election to take place since taxpayers received their bills in September.
After the press box was rejected, Board of Education President Tim Ryan said the votes at the Veeder Elementary School polling area, a section of the district that borders the Town of Niskayuna, were 3-to-1 negative.
I think that those residents were expressing their frustrations with their [school tax bills], said Ryan.
James Feldman, a Niskayuna resident living in the South Colonie Central School District, said that Ryan’s suspicions about the residents expressing frustration is most likely correct.
Feldman and his wife, Cheri, were faced with a tax bill this year that was more than $1,000 higher than last year’s, after Board of Education members decided on a 5.92 percent tax increase, or $22.62 per $1,000 of assessed value for homeowners, and $25.61 per $1,000 of assessed value for commercial property owners.
Last year’s tax rate was $21.36 per $1,000 of assessed value for homeowners.
Assistant Superintendent for Management Services Beverly Miller said the district was forced to come up with the 5.92 percent tax increase as a result of many tax certiorari lawsuits being won by businesses within the district.
When this happens, a bulk of the tax burden is shifted from businesses to homeowners.
Another cause of the high tax bills was the difference in assessments of homes in Niskayuna versus the assessments of homes in the Town of Colonie. As of this year, homes in Niskayuna are assessed at full value, whereas in the Town of Colonie, a townwide assessment has not been completed in several years, and homes are only assessed at 67 percent of full value.
The result of these factors was higher tax bills and several upset residents.
`I really think the vote just reflects that there is a segment of the population that’s disgruntled with the current situation,` said Feldman.
Feldman, who voted against both propositions, said that he did not merely vote against the propositions because he sought revenge on the district that told his family, and others, that there was nothing they could do about their tax bills, but that he did not feel either proposition reflected something that was necessary.
Vice President of the Board of Education Brian Casey labeled the close-call of the bus vote `scary` and said that the bus proposition is a safety measure the district takes every year to retire the buses that no longer meet safety standards.
But Feldman said he voted down the bus proposition because he is confident that since it is a safety issue, the district will come up with the means to pay for the buses no matter what.
`If those buses would have been voted down, we wouldn’t have been taking buses away from the kids, there would have needed to be sacrifices made in their budget,` he said.
Feldman also said he had little concern with the construction of the press box, but voted against it because it is a small percentage of the taxpayer population that is actually concerned with athletic events, and that he felt the taxpayers who do not have children involved in athletics should not have had their money set aside last year for the project when it could be used for other things that affect all students.
`Truthfully, I don’t think a press tower has anything to do with the education with the kids,` he said.
When asked whether he plans to vote against the upcoming budget, in May, because of his displeasure with the school taxes, Feldman said he plans to vote fairly based on the budget itself. `I’m going to vote based upon: is it an accurate budget? Are there items in there that shouldn’t be there?` he said.
He said he is sure some of the other Niskayuna residents will vote against the budget, no matter what, because of their tax bills.
That is one fear of Ryan’s, though he said the board is working diligently to come up with a budget that reflects savings in every area possible and a tax increase that will be reasonable for all taxpayers within the district.
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