Wyoming County resident says people should be wary of tax savings with wind projects

Editor:

This year the Orangeville town tax will be paid by Invenergy Wind. Sounds great and to be envied by other towns. Right?  Lets see.

I question if it’s a good deal? Let’s use an average priced home assessed at $100,000 and use round figures. The Orangeville town tax would be about $1,000. That is $1,000 per year savings to that home owner.

Suppose the owner of that house wants to sell that home. Using NYS Real Property Services sales figures that $100,000 home will sell for only $70,000 realizing a $30,000 loss. Some examples include a Syler Road property assessed for $91,500 sold for $30,000, a Rt. 238 property assessed for $107,800 sold for $62,700 and a Hermitage Road property assessed for $280,612  sold for $225,000.

One Syler Road property with 1,092 square feet was purchased in 2008 for $127,380.  The new owners built a barn, added an outdoor wood furnace and increased the house size to 1,260 square feet.  The assessment was increased to $127,100.

In 2015, after the wind project, the house with improvements sold for $125,000. Less than what it was worth in 2008 without the improvements. These are not rare sales but typical, in fact there are dozens of properties that lost values since the introduction of the wind project.

The Orangeville budget exceeded the tax cap limit as posted on September 22, 2017, raising the tax levy. The 2016 assessment increases gave the county, schools,  libraries and fire districts  more of taxpayers’ hard-earned money.

Now deduct the raises given to the county, schools, libraries and fire districts off the $1,000 town tax savings. Let’s not forget the tax deduction you’ll lose for town tax. Doesn’t look so good now does it?

Paul Jensen

Varysburg