WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE EXAMINER. October 25, 2007: The resolution calling on the state legislature to increase the city sales tax ½% was taken off the table by Council President Rita Malmud tonight, then immediately tabled until the work session November 20 after the city Common Council election. The city also announced the state equalization rate by which commercial assessments are determined has declined double the rate of last year's used to figure this year's tax roll.

The retabling of the sales tax measure was done despite having received the city projections going out to 2011 which were available for discussion as the Common Council and Assemblyman Adam Bradley had requested, and have been available for two weeks.  

Ms. Malmud gave no explanation of why the matter was tabled again, or why the council could not explore any questions on the projections they might have Thursday evening. Neither she nor any of the Common Council indicated any concerns they might have that the sales tax might not be needed due to the rosy projections of the balanced budget the three year "outcast" provided to the New York State Department of the Budget.

However, those three year budget projections may need rethinking  in terms of  property tax increases with the announcement of a decline in this year's Equalization Rate which Corporation Counsel Edward Dunphy reported during the meeting.

In an interview with Mr. Dunphy and the Mayor after the meeting, Dunphy said the equalization rate assigned White Plains for this year has been delivered and the rate, used to calculate commercial property assessments has taken another nosedive bottoming from 3.24% to 2.69%. This will have a jarring lowering of White Plains commercial assessment rolls in the next budget year, Dunphy told the CitizeNetReporter.

In the 2007-2008 budget year, the equalization rate declined from 3.54% to 3.24%, just .30. The new decrease of .55 could have an serious lowering effect on the Total Assessed Valuation in the city. The .30 decline of 2006-2007 resulted in a $6.2 Million decline in assessed value in the city from 296.1 Million to $289.9 Million.

Dunphy and Mayor Delfino said the city was going to appeal in the courts on this rate. Dunphy said It is only the second time Dunphy said the city will attempt to appeal the rate. Previously the city was able to use the previous year's rate ecause the state voted on the rate by telephone which was prohibited by law.

Delfino during the Common Council meeting, said the state sets the rate based on only a handful of properties (33) in the city, and as home values go up, the equalization rate goes down. This year's equalization rate will be based on housing values of 2005, when values were going up and not leveling off as they have in 2006- 2007, so Delfino reasoned White Plains would not see the relief of stabilization of home prices (which would keep the equalization rate where it is)  for several years.