Letter: Higher Property Taxes for the Future

Governor Hochul says New York State schools have too much money. It hides in the numbers. OACSD has had three years of 0% property tax increases. And for many good reasons, but at the same time built a pile of cash.  

Therefore, some Board of Education members know it is time to refresh public expectations of an annual 1.9999999% property tax increase. This year the Property Tax Cap Formula popped out an allowable 4.23%. However, our OACSD Board of Education elected to open the back door and make it 5.16%. This extra 1% came by the machinations of the Rube Goldberg contraption called the 2% Property Tax Cap formula. This is the recoupment of last year’s unused allowable property tax increase.

Okay; however, shouldn’t the BOE have disclosed this? Why not? This year’s OACSD’s Budget Dog and Pony show started with an allowable 5.16% and then after great angst, consternation, worry and gnashing of teeth found that a 1.9999999% increase would be adequate. Two percent is palatable / doable within public expectations. 

A 1% increase equals 3/10th of 1% of the total budget. It is a rounding error. A review of prior budgets shows that the BOE is consistently over estimating expenditures and underestimating revenue. The 2023 under-run was $2.7M. 

The need for a 2% property tax increase cannot be justified without proper due diligence and disclosure by the BOE. The multimillion-dollar under-runs (profit) of OACSD for the past three years are omitted from the Dog and Pony Show. Under-runs will continue into 2025 and 2026 School Years and longer if not remedied.  

The danger here is this back door inflating the allowable Property Tax increase will become standard practice and never be disclosed to the public. Does a 1% difference per year in property taxes make a difference? Yes. This is how we got to highest property taxes per assessed property value and the highest teacher union compensation costs. Too much money begets wasteful spending. This back door will be rolled forward without any public disclosure. This was not addressed in OACSD’s budget this year. 

By incorporation of the added 1%, your BOE is saying it was a mistake to have a 0% property tax increase for 2024. Therefore, the BOE made a mistake! You will never hear this as a justification for this year’s 1.999999% property tax increase. This will not find its way into this year’s budget newsletter.  

Of the seven members of the BOE, only six of the seven know this trick is at hand. This information has been withheld from the OACSD 2025 Budget Dog and Pony Show, as documented via the video recording of OACSD BOE meetings of March 11 and March 24, 2024.

Confusing? Yes. Buried in the numbers? Yes. We should trust in our elected BOE members to be fully transparent, share corporate knowledge with new BOE members, and operate to a clear and known agenda. It has bit us before and will do it again. WE NEED TWO NEW BOE MEMBERS who will help the minority change the character of the majority.

You are being taxed for last year, even if they say you are not! The BOE started with 5.16%.

Thank you,

Haig McNamee

Owego, N.Y.