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local law 15 pages

Also attached to this agenda item: Assessment Consolidation Webinar Assessment FAQ Assessment memo February 26th Resolution 26-2025 LL Intro 14 of 2024 PH Resolution 44-2025 LL 5 of 2025 Adoption

From: Croton-on-Hudson NY via Croton-on-Hudson NY To: Manager"s Office Subject: Form submission from: Send Us Comments Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 9:30:11 AM ***CAUTION: External sender.*** Submitted on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - 9:30am Submitted values are: Choose One: Village Manager's Office Please include any questions or comments: As a senior citizen living in COH for over thirty years I sternly object to the proposal, as stated. My village taxes will increase by 17% is the transfer takes place. That amount is egregious and will be place an unforeseen burden on our budget. My assumption is that I am not alone. About 20% of the COH residents are seniors. I urge you to include a clause for seniors in the proposal that limits the increase to 3%. ==Please provide the following information== Your Name: Jim Levey Email Address: ==Address== Street: 10 Park Ave City: Croton on Hudson State: New York Zipcode: 10520 Organization: Phone Number: The results of this submission may be viewed at: https://www.crotononhudson-ny.gov/node/2/submission/36596 From: Croton-on-Hudson NY via Croton-on-Hudson NY To: Manager"s Office Subject: Form submission from: Send Us Comments Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 5:13:35 PM ***CAUTION: External sender.*** Submitted on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - 5:13pm Submitted values are: Choose One: Village Manager's Office Please include any questions or comments: According to your spread sheet, your proposal will raise my village tax by THIRTY PERCENT! What do you plan to do for older owners of older homes faced with such an increase? ==Please provide the following information== Your Name: John MacLean Email Address: ==Address== Street: 6 Hamilton Ave City: Croton On Hudson State: New York Zipcode: 10520 Organization: Phone Number: The results of this submission may be viewed at: https://www.crotononhudson-ny.gov/node/2/submission/36606 From: Hannellie Kratchman To: Manager"s Office Subject: Local Law Intro 14 of 2024 Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 11:28:31 AM ***CAUTION: External sender.*** This seems to be an unfair new assessment of property for all of us that now will have a higher tax bill. There will have been no improvements and thus no reason for an increase in assessment, but it will be increased. Why not give the owner the assessment of whichever is the lower of the two? So as not to be unfair.  For example, if your house has a lower assessment in the Village then the town, then the Village assessment is the one used. If your house has a lower assessment in the Town than the Village, then you get the lower (Town) assessment. That at least will not be unfair. I am assuming when you say "no increase/decrease to the Village" you are taking into account a class action filed against the implementation of this Law and its unfair assessment implications. Btw, I have grieved my  town property taxes before, and unfortunately the clerk working on this himself did not understand the law. So that makes it naturally harder to dispute your increase with the courts. If not impossible.  It is further a fact that everybody has seen an increase in their property value. So how exactly would we prove that the assessment is too high? Which, is the first step. If you cannot prove the assessment is too high the point is moot and you have no recourse with a SCAR petition. It is an UNFAIR increase as only some are increased and others are not.  I will be happy to join any class action started in this matter. As that will be the only way to bring the unfair increase to our property to an end.  Alternatively, the courts may direct the Town to do a new assessment on all properties in its jurisdiction so as to ensure the assessments are current and fair. There are many homes that have extremely under assessed values. I have seen some that have sold for 80% more than their assessment. So maybe it is time to do a new assessment on all properties and then increase them yearly at the new sales price. As is done in Ossining.  Thanks, Hannellie Kratchman From: Croton-on-Hudson NY via Croton-on-Hudson NY To: Manager"s Office Subject: Form submission from: Send Us Comments Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 9:06:23 AM ***CAUTION: External sender.*** Submitted on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 - 9:06am Submitted values are: Choose One: Public Comments for Board Meeting Please include any questions or comments: Will the proposal to consolidate the Croton Villages’ assessing unit with the Town of Cortlandt also lead to the Town of Cortlandt adopting the Croton Village’s "good Cause” protections for tenants, or a similar measure by the Town of Cortlandt to limit the annual percentage that landlords can increase non- commercial (domestic) rentals? ==Please provide the following information== Your Name: Robert Milano Email Address: ==Address== Street: Scenic Drive City: Croton State: New York Zipcode: 10520 Organization: none (personal question) Phone Number: The results of this submission may be viewed at: https://www.crotononhudson-ny.gov/node/2/submission/36626 From: To: Date: Domna Candido Bryan Healy; Brian Pugh; Len Simon; Nora Nicholson; Cara Politi; Maria Slippen; Manager"s Office Board of Trustees Public Hearing Meeting 2.26.25 Comments Wednesday, February 26, 2025 3:06:49 PM ***CAUTION: External sender.*** To: Mayor Pugh, Board of Trustees, Manager Healy: I am submitting these Comments in connection with the Agenda for tonight’s 2/26/25 Board of Trustee’s Meeting regarding both the 1) Public Hearing for the Property Tax Cap Override, as well as 2) General Public Comments (re Setting the March 12th Public Hearing on transferring responsibility for property assessments to the Town of Cortlandt).  Also, as has been requested on numerous occasions by Residents attending the Board of Trustees Meetings, it is often difficult to hear what the members of the Board are saying due to mumbling at a very low volume (even on Live Stream!).  This is true for all Trustees, except for Trustee Nicholson who has the courtesy of speaking succinctly and into the mic, and when the Mayor is yelling at one or another of our Croton Residents.  I don’t think a reminder should be necessary that these are not private meetings on which the Public is eavesdropping.  These are Public Meetings in which you, as our elected officials, have a responsibility to involve your constituents. It is really a sign of disrespect to continue to treat residents this way and to disregard the many requests from Residents to speak up. So it would be appreciated if this Board would appropriately extend itself and speak into the mics and speak louder, like representatives in other municipalities do, so that all of us could hear what is being said. The following are my comments. Since I will not be able to attend and, as in the past, I would appreciate my comments not being summarized into meaningless candy coating with little relevance to what I actually wrote, please read the bolded sentences into the record at tonight’s meeting during the respective “Public Hearing” and “Public Comment” sections: <!--[if !supportLists]-->1.   <!--[endif]-->Public Hearing re Override of NYS 2% Property Tax Cap Although I realize that Croton on Hudson’s Board of Trustees have pushed to override the NYS 2% property tax cap in certain past years, I have a great concern that such an override is being proposed at this time… particularly without imposing another specific tax cap or limit.  This Board seems to blame the current 2.99% inflation rate as the underlying reason for this immediate need to override the existing 2% property tax cap. But it makes no mention of the very concerning aggressive activities the Mayor and Board have been involved in and actions they have taken, over which they do have control, that could have even greater impact on increased costs to our Village resulting in increased taxes to Croton Residents going forward!   We don’t need to look too far into the past for important lessons as to how Pugh- related Boards and Administrations ignored comments from members of our community and, instead, jumped head-first into projects or transactions to our long- term financial detriment.  One such example is the ill-conceived acquisition of Gouveia, which could and should have stayed as a property paying taxes to Croton, rather than it turning into a financial burden that the tax paying residents of Croton now need to subsidize.  In fact, that burden has even pushed the Board into looking to use Gouveia in various ways, even to lease out for income generating activities, like Cell Towers, which would be detrimental to the property value of other residents located in close proximity!  At the time the acquisition of Gouveia was being considered, we all remember that knowledgeable residents presented Public Comments warning that the financial data the Board, including Brian Pugh, was relying on was deficient.  But they were arrogantly cut off and ignored… a tactic that is still being used by our Mayor and this Board.  As a result, that imprudent deal went through and Croton taxpayers have been burdened with costs for Gouveia ever since!   When a Mayor, Board and Administration blatantly ignore constructive Public Comments (even allow suppression of First Amendment expression, to the point of physical harassment and attack of residents) and would rather focus first and foremost on factors not in the best interests of Croton and its residents, any resulting increase in costs need to be scrutinized. When the focus of new projects is virtue signaling and to obtain accolades for one’s political career from Party officials on the County and State levels, or to purport to save the world with very little, if any, benefit to Village Residents and regardless of the resulting financial impacts, and other quality of life detriments that come with additional costs to the constituents of this Village, honesty must prevail…any increased costs cannot be blamed on inflation! When this Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Trustees choose to continue to ignore input from their constituents and expend our resources on expensive EVs and Chargers, or aggressively push forward with Affordable Housing projects with Lotteries and little benefit for our residents and community, in order to market and congratulate themselves for those results due to their virtue signaling… while ignoring residents’ repeated Public Comments that such projects will result in requiring additional not-so-affordable expenses and costs for extra safety, fire, school, traffic, and impose other detrimental issues relating to lifestyle, congestion, transportation, and increased population that also have attendant costs … that’s not inflation!  It’s ill-conceived, poorly managed political decisions, much like the ill- conceived Gouveia acquisition that we are now burdened with.  It’s focusing on objectives that do not have Croton’s constituents in mind that can very likely translate into additional costs for Croton and its Residents. Croton constituents are keenly aware that they, who are very interested, and whose lives are directly affected and who show up to participate and share their opinions and thoughts are treated with contempt and disdain, and that Public Comments are often being ignored. Certainly, comments from Mayor Pugh stating on public record that he doesn’t even need public approval, to Trustee Slippen, who said before the election that the 100 Units at the Lot A project should be reduced to 60… then blatantly disregarding that when it really mattered and voting for the project with the 100 Units, indicate that public input appears to be a complete afterthought here in Croton.  Residents are keenly aware that the Administration treats the Public Hearings like a required, boring series of 5-minute increments controlled by the Mayor with his timer cutting off people speaking, that the Board is required to sit through, but makes no real attempt to listen to, or to actually hear.  That impression is underscored because regardless of the information relayed or questions posed, the Board often just jumps right into voting on what they intended to vote on regardless of what just transpired!  Just a Board arrogantly ignoring constituents until they could just get on with doing what they intended to do from the start, i.e., push through these pre-determined programs or votes on proposed laws, etc.  Of late, with the number of aggressive new projects, there have been many unanswered questions raised which were likely to have additional costs that our Village Officials seemed reticent to any, let alone address.  To now be faced with a vote to override a 2% property tax cap, seems to be an unreasonable way to address what could be significant unknown extenuating costs to which this Administration has been committing itself… and our resident taxpayers! Since Mgr. Healy’s last Budget Report didn’t seem to indicate a need for a tax cap override, perhaps this current request for an override of the Property Tax Cap is just “insurance” in case all these imprudent decisions by the Board result in additional costs this Administration can’t now cover within our existing budget.  It appears that this Board’s go-to plan will be to just increase our Property Taxes to cover their poor fiscal management!  Why should we vote to give that blank check, when all of our Public Comments, to date, have been blatantly and arrogantly ignored?!! And, certainly, not when residents bringing up any concerns along the way have been treated with such disdain and contempt… and even with unprecedented aggression?! As such, I’m advocating that those on the Board and in this Administration who have been making those decisions now take responsibility for the cost of their decisions, and that the tax cap override increase should be voted down, or, in the alternative, just not be voted on at this time until all of those cost questions have been adequately addressed.  Our Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Trustees should refocus their efforts on the interests of Croton, our own Croton Residents, working on keeping our legitimate expenses within our own Budget and on our own priorities.  Not on any individual politician’s career advancement, saving the world at-large, virtue signaling or bullying or attacking our Residents who try to sincerely offer Public Comments at Meetings! Our little Village of Croton should not have to override a protective NYS 2% Property Tax Cap (on property taxes that are already very high) due to our Mayor who wants to impress others by looking like he’s saving the world, then charging it to Croton Residents knowing he does not have the burden of any tax cap!   <!--[if !supportLists]-->2.    <!--[endif]-->Public Comment (re Setting March 12th Tax Assessment Responsibility Public Hearing)   It has been over 3 months since the last Public Hearing, in Nov ’24, held by this Board regarding the transfer of Croton’s assessing responsibilities to the Town of Cortlandt.  At that time, the Mayor and Board were very evasive. The Mayor kept trying to rush through as if no one needed to understand what was actually going on. The explanation made no sense, because it was intentionally nonsensical! The Administration was purposely being not very transparent in their presentation of how Croton Residents will be affected… even to Trustee Murtaugh who wanted to know how it would affect him as a taxpayer. In fact, there appeared to be much effort in using very inane comparisons of numbers in the charts so that people would NOT be able to understand what the ultimate results would be for them, e.g., “more properties would see a decrease than would see an increase”… “the average increase will be greater than the average decrease”… and the most insulting flippant comment from the Mayor that “there will be some winners and some losers!!!     It was made clear that Residents wanted to know the specific dollar amount of their particular property taxes. It was promised that information would be delivered.  But, it has now been over 3 months and that information still has not been made available for all Residents.  Despite that fact, we are now being confronted with yet another attempt to set up a Public Hearing for the purpose of approving this by presenting the same meaningless, inane comparisons, with the same hints that there will be “winners and losers”.    The purported “Webinar” is scheduled to be presented 6 days before the Public Hearing… and it appears that it is the intention of the Board to release the anticipated taxes for each Resident’s property at some time after that Mar. 6 Webinar and the Mar. 12th  Public Hearing!!!  I highly doubt that the Board does not currently have this information.  I also will not be surprised if the Board waits until the last minute to send that information to each Resident, as it does when it announces Public Hearings and as it does when it releases last minute Agendas for those Meetings!    All of this is Not Acceptable!  It has been over 3 months.  Stop with the games. That information re the anticipated taxes for each Resident’s property should be released to Residents AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and prior to that March 6th Webinar, so that Residents can prepare their questions for the Webinar and prepare their comments for the March 12th  Public Hearing!    There are already valid reasons that there is very little trust in this Administration due to its lack of transparency. Flippant comments from our Mayor that there will be some winners and some losers is not helpful! Please let us know when we should expect to receive that information.    Domna Candido 1A Arrowcrest Dr From: Domna To: Brian Pugh; Len Simon; Nora Nicholson; Cara Politi; Maria Slippen; Bryan Healy; Manager"s Office; Board of Trustees Subject: Public Hearing Meeting 3/12/25 Comments PLEASE UPLOAD TO AGENDA Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 11:37:09 AM ***CAUTION: External sender.***   To: Mayor Pugh, Board of Trustees, Mgr. Healy: The one thing that has become crystal clear in our Village is that when the Pugh Administration is involved in issues that should be straightforward and have a simple answer, but start to seem unnecessarily confusing… we should pay close attention.  When there is evasive double talk and the Board is pushing to approve something despite providing inadequate information… we should pay very close attention. We’ve learned from past projects and issues, like the two years of gaslighting with our Board pushing to approve the Solar Farm project on steep slopes in violation of our laws, and recent similar issues relating to cell towers, that transparency is definitely not a strong suit at Village Hall here in Croton! If, at first, things don’t make sense, explanations are definitely required!  Unfortunately, it's in that context that we find ourselves examining the proposed Consolidation of Croton's Assessing Unit issue.   The Game of ‘Hide and Seek’ Has Not Been Appreciated! More than 4 months ago, the Board of Trustees indicated to residents that it intended to pass a new law so that our Village Property Tax Assessments will now be conducted by the Town of Cortlandt.  The primary reason given for this was allegedly to save the Village the $32,000 cost of having to pay for our own Village Assessor, including the grievance procedures and other related costs.  On its face, I don’t have an issue with the Town of Cortlandt handling such things.  (It’s apparent that Cortlandt certainly would NOT have pushed to approve that Solar Farm project on steep slopes! And, from what I could see, residents there are not rudely shouted down by Cortlandt officials at their Public Hearings.)  But, at that last Croton Public Hearing in November regarding this assessment issue and a later Village Board Meeting on this topic, residents had requested, but were not provided with, any real useful information, particularly relating to any Projected Change in taxes for our individual properties. Instead, the Mayor was rushing through what was supposed to be an “explanation” as if there was nothing of any importance that needed to be discussed. And the information that was offered at those Meetings (including, by Mgr Healy and Trustees alike) sounded more like cryptic hints and clues in a game of Hide and Seek, e.g., multiple references to “there will be a mean decrease of $27.00”, and statements like, “more properties would see a decrease than would see an increase” and “the average increase will be greater than the average decrease.”  Most startling was when Trustee Murtaugh pushed for some more concrete answers relating to his personal property, and in the absence of any real data being given to residents, Mayor Pugh flippantly announced that “there will be some winners and some losers” … certainly a message that got the attention of all!  It is not everyday that one’s elected officials openly discuss that they are actively pushing to pass a law where there will be a certain number of unlucky constituents who will be on the losing end of the deal!! (Note to self:  we might need new officials!)   Little did we know at that time that when the specific tax numbers were finally revealed last week (more than 4 months later) showing the Projected Village Taxes and Projected Changes as a result of the proposed transfer of assessor duties to the Town of Cortlandt, we would find out that some of those increases were far more than the decreases, that the focus on the “mean $27 decrease” was absolutely meaningless, that many residents who are already paying significantly high taxes found themselves to be in the “loser” category facing even further increases in their own taxes, while Mayor Pugh’s own personal property taxes would be decreased by a whopping 40%!!! The initial question is why were the Mayor and the Board not up front with residents about the relevant information at the last Assessment Public Hearing in November, choosing instead to play games with residents regarding the nature of the possible changes in taxes they would be facing.  Obviously, the Administration had the projected tax numbers months ago, so the hints and clues and the Hide & Seek “you’re getting close, you’re warmer, but not quite there yet” approach without sharing the real information was not only unnecessary and unhelpful, but came off as obnoxious! … particularly, with residents anxious about finances, tax increases and losing!   The Switch to Cortlandt as Assessor Unacceptably Shifts How the Tax Burden is Distributed to Some Property Owners!!! … There’s an Easier Fix to Cover $32,000 Assessor Cost In addition, it’s also very curious as to why we’re even considering the possible move to the Town of Cortlandt at all, when it seems as if there’s an obvious easier fix!  If the real issue is saving the $32,000 in cost for a Village Tax Assessor which could easily be covered by having each of the 3,060 Croton property owners paying just $10.50 (or some apportioned amount) more a year, why are we not just doing that, and calling it a day?    Instead, a review of those properties showing tax increases on the Projected Village Tax Change information sheets seems to indicate that this more complicated Cortlandt Assessor alternative appears to be an attempt or opportunity for this Administration to make a permanent shift in how the burden of our Village Tax Levy will be distributed among our Village Resident Property Owners… in many instances, shifting more of that tax burden to those who are already paying higher Village and Town taxes!!   Could Trigger an Unintended Tax Increase While some residents who received a tax reduction might be happy with this immediate result, we should all be asking why this overall result would be fair to those residents receiving the increases at this time and under these circumstances, when there is another option to achieve the desired goal of covering the Assessor’s $32,000 Salary and Costs as discussed above?  Also, what would justify such disparate treatment of certain residents, when it otherwise would not have been warranted?  And, since all the Projected Changes are made by distributing the same total current Village Tax Levy amount, it could all backfire anyway, since once the total amount of the Village’s Tax Levy would already be “redistributed” as set forth on the printout of Projected Taxes, if and when all those residents grieve their increased Village tax bills and their taxes are ultimately reduced, the Village would then be receiving LESS tax funds overall than it is currently receiving.  And that shortfall would have to be made up somehow!  Then what?  Well, then it would appear that the Village would likely need to RAISE EVERYONE’S taxes! However, that scenario which would create a need for the Village to raise taxes to replenish what should be the Village’s existing Tax Levy would be a forced error of sorts, as it’s a scenario that doesn’t need to happen but-for the poor decisions by this Administration.  It could also likely occur around the time the Village might be trying to raise all of our property taxes (now without the NYS 2% Property Tax Cap as a result of the Board’s recent passage of the cap override) resulting from this Administration’s aggressive push forward on Affordable Housing projects with lotteries, and other ill- advised projects of little benefit for our own Croton residents and community, in order to market and congratulate themselves for those results due to their virtue signaling and choosing to impress others, rather than trying to serve this constituency.   Most of these were while turning a deaf ear toward Public Comments from residents advising to the contrary, including projects, such as, Lot A, which wound up being approved for the 100 Units (post-election) after we were told (pre-election) that only 60 Units would be allowed.   All of these will result in requiring additional not-so-affordable expenses and costs for extra safety, fire, school, traffic and other services and impose other detrimental issues relating to lifestyle, congestion, transportation, and increased population that also have attendant costs.  To burden a subset of residents with higher taxes by taking this Consolidated Cortlandt Assessment action now, knowing full well that additional higher taxes may be looming in the near future, is really irresponsible!   Board of Trustees Cannot Approve the Local Law to Consolidate Assessment Unit with the Town of Cortlandt Because Mayor Pugh Has a Conflict of Interest It is of great concern that, after the Public Hearing tonight, this Board may decide to vote to approve the law to move Assessment duties to the Town of Cortlandt resulting in Projected Village Tax Changes similar to those as set forth on the printouts recently provided by the Administration, fully knowing that action will unnecessarily result in an unfair redistribution and/or shifting of the Village Tax Levy burden only for certain residents.  And the fact that the Board would be doing so knowing that the issue of the $32,000 cost for a Village Assessor could alternatively be handled easily and with little imposition on all Village residents, as described above, would make little sense.   It is also particularly incomprehensible that Mayor Pugh has publicly conceded that by following through with the Cortlandt plan “there will be some winners and some losers.” There are not just a few resident property owners who will “lose” as a result of this unnecessary, arbitrary decision, but quite a lot of them… in excess of 1,300+ of the 3,060 Village residents!  The Mayor’s “winners” and “losers” words were very telling. In making a decision such as this, there should be no support of a program that inherently does not work for residents, rendering them “losers,” when there is a viable choice that does not produce that negative result, as the Mayor, this Board and this Administration should be acting on behalf of, and in the best interest of, all Croton residents! And what is more egregious is that Mayor Pugh is, apparently, not one of those “losers” he so flippantly referenced.  In fact, as it turns out, he’s a self-interested “winner”, and one that falls in a high category of “winners” at that… i.e., one receiving a 40% reduction in his property taxes.  That’s not just a one-time reduction, as he will effectively reap the benefit of that lower tax level going forward.  To be the Mayor voluntarily making a decision that doesn’t need to be made (because there are other alternative ways to deal with the $32,000 Assessor cost, as discussed), yet push to make a self-interested decision that gives oneself a permanent financial benefit while detrimentally affecting more than 1/3 of one’s constituents without blinking an eye speaks volumes … I believe that would be really unethical!!  In fact, if the numbers we’re seeing on that printout are correct and the Board goes forward and passes this law transferring Assessment power to the Town of Cortlandt at this time and under these circumstances, I believe it would be incumbent upon Brian Pugh to resign as Mayor. Why Are We Here Considering This Issue At All?!     Experience shows that caring about the needs, issues and concerns of ALL Croton residents has not been high on the list of our Mayor and this Administration.  While it is obvious that impressing County and State politicians, particularly Sen. Harckham and Gov. Hochul, and appearing to engage in “save the world” identity politics, is often noticeably much higher on our Mayor’s list of priorities, than working for and in the best interests of our own Croton residents which is often not a first priority.  That could be seen, even in recent actions and recent public statements announcing that resident approval to pursue objectives and projects is not really needed. But, assertively pursuing a course of action to pass a law, such as for Consolidated Assessment, with all of the downsides and negative impacts for a significant number of residents when the alternative  is available to somehow charge residents a set fee in some manner (such as the $10,50 amount) to cover the Assessor’s $32,000 costs there is no reason for a politician who actually cares about their constituency to continue to pursue the Consolidated Assessment path. In these economic times, it takes great hubris to completely have no respect for the finances of residents, make assumptions that an elected official could or should just willy nilly make a decision that will disparately increase a resident’s taxes for no good reason (particularly, since there is an alternative available) and pursuing this choice wreaks of self-interest, as the Mayor, himself is actually benefitting in getting a sizable tax reduction. If the Projected Village Tax numbers on the provided sheets are accurately representative, treating constituents this way is just unethical and wrong! Hopefully, our Mayor, Board and Administration will give more reasoned thought to this issue as, I believe, this path is not the way to go. Domna Candido From: Lauren Davis To: Village assesor Date: Monday, March 10, 2025 8:38:06 PM ***CAUTION: External sender.*** I would like to know in this public meeting how village officials/members of the board will each be impacted by this consolidation. I have seen a figure that Maple Commons will see a large deduction/ how much and why? As a widowed senior i will see my tax bill go up by over 1200 dollars in one year. Why is it fair for a single person approaching retirement to have such a large increase. I cannot get enhanced star as in order to afford my mortgage i have to earn just above enhanced star to be able to stay in my home. I understand that newer bigger homes that people have purchased have high taxes but the people who bought these homes knew what they were buying into or they wouldnt have bought in Croton. I have already been told by one member of this community that if i can no longer afford to live here that i move and give other younger families a chance to be in Croton. Im not quite ready to move out but I guess the message for older folks hoping to retire the message is clear. I don't like it and dont think it’s fair. If my taxes are going to increase by the above said amount there should be a more realistic threshold for the enhanced star for seniors. Lauren Davis Sent from my iPhone