Rockland's empty seat in the MTA board room, and taxation on climate-friendly heat pumps

At first glance, it seemed wrong that Gov. Kathy Hochul had left vacant Rockland County’s seat on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the world’s largest mass transit system.

It has been more than a year since Rockland has had representation on the MTA board.

You might call it a classic case of taxation without representation, with Rockland employers and consumers forking over millions of dollars annually in payroll taxes and sales taxes to support the regional mass transit agency each year while lacking a seat at the MTA’s board table.

My Tax Watch column this week dug beneath the surface to find that the process of filling the former seat of Joe Borelli was anything but straight-forward.

County Executive Ed Day, who has made the MTA one of his favorite punching bags, has long assailed the agency for failing to provide adequate mass transit options for those commuting from the west side of the Hudson while taxing Rocklanders to the hilt.

Under state law, county executives in the 7-county metropolitan transit region recommend nominees to the MTA board, with each county getting a seat. When a vacancy occurs, county executives are required to recommend three possible board members to the governor.

The governor then sends his or her chosen nominee from the three to the state Senate for confirmation.

Day recommended three candidates in June 2023 following Borelli’s resignation. They included Neil Cosgrove, a rail commuter, member of the Rockland County Planning Board, and active member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Rockland. He has also criticized the MTA in hearings over fare increases.

Day told Gov. Kathy Hochul that the outspoken Cosgrove was his top choice. After one of his nominees passed away, Day submitted another candidate, whom Hochul made her choice. But Hochul's nomination never got to the Senate because her office could not get through to the candidate.

When the governor’s aides sought help from Day’s office to reach his nominee, they were told that Cosgrove was Day’s preferred selection.

That exchange took place in May, during the final weeks of the legislative session. The session was gaveled closed in June. The governor did not forward a Rockland nominee by session’s end.

That means it could be at least another six months before the state Senate is back in session.

Unlike the Suffolk County executive, who disclosed his three nominees to fill his county's MTA seat earlier this year, Day has remained mum on his other selections while promoting Cosgrove for the post.

I filed a Freedom of Information request on Wednesday to obtain those other names. I'll keep you posted on what I find out.

Heat pumps and taxation

Heat pumps are all the rage in New York, with state subsidies fueling demand for the climate-friendly devices that can both heat and cool your home efficiently with electricity.

Homeowner Liz Ferran went through the gauntlet of municipal approvals to legalize her heat pump's installation, then discovered in June that her home’s assessment had risen by $9,300 to account for the heat pump’s added value to her home.

Ferran fought the increase before the town’s Board of Assessment Review, filing a grievance on June 17. She also reached out to Tax Watch to shed light on state law that allows exemptions for the taxable value of solar panels on your rooftop but does not extend that exemption to heat pumps.

After making her grievance, I called Lewisboro Assessor Lise Robertson to better understand the intricacies of assessment practices relating to improvements to heating and cooling units in homes. She justified the assessment because she felt that having a heat pump cooling Ferran’s first floor was an improvement that could drive up the home’s market value.

But then Robertson spoke with Town Supervisor Tony Goncalves. She decided to rescind the increased assessment until she received input from state tax authorities in Albany.

Reach out

You can reach me at dwilson3@lohud.com with feedback and tips for new columns.