Ossining school bond wins, Playland tax tangle, and Tax Watch columnist wins an award

It took the Ossining schools four years of planning, listening to parents, and outreach to a broad spectrum of community residents to put Westchester County’s biggest school bond ever before voters.

The strategy paid off, with the $210-million plan passing by more than 3-to-1 on Tuesday with 1,126 voting yes, and just 338 voting against it. The plan will include a new building for grades 7 and 8,  new classrooms at Ossining High and Claremont Elementary School, as well as renovations of the historic former United Methodist Church into a theater and classroom for high school arts instruction.

The renovations to the high school will include an outdoor patio where students now gather during lunch on the open campus.

Leading the district through the bond campaign was Interim Superintendent Mary Fox-Alter, the former schools chief in Pleasantville, who was serving as a state monitor of the troubled East Ramapo school district before she returned to Westchester.

She came to Ossining to fill in after longtime Ossining Superintendent Ray Sanchez took charge in the Tarrytowns schools district, just to the south.

The resounding victory was a vote of confidence for the increasingly diverse district, where 66% of the students are Hispanic.

The Latino parents group, Projecto Alcance, was involved in whipping up support, with parent Monica Martinez-Hess, a Mexican immigrant with children in grades 4 and 7, leading the outreach to her neighbors and Hispanic parents.

The renovation of the former United Methodist Church, which is next door to the Ossining High campus, will present a fascinating challenge, with the district weighing historic preservation with the need for classroom space.

Yet to be decided is the fate of six stained glass windows, with several of them portraying Christian themes. Those issues will be addressed during the design of the renovations.

Playland tax tangle

Westchester County’s system of property taxation is a complex web that depends on the cooperation of municipalities, Westchester County, local assessors and property owners who might have a gripe with the taxable value of their property.

When one of the government actors steps out to change the status quo, that web can become a tangled mess.

That’s what has happened in the city of Rye, which took the bold step in 2022 to put Westchester’s Playland Park on the tax rolls after management of the amusement park was handed over to Standard Amusements for 30 years.

Westchester won back the tax-exemption in state Supreme Court, but Rye appealed to the Appellate Division in Brooklyn, where the case languishes in the court's backlog. In the meantime, the tax rate for Rye’s city, county and school taxes were based on payments of $3.5 million from Westchester and Standard, with Westchester paying $50,000 and Standard to pay the rest, according to its management contract.

But Westchester and Standard have refused to pay the disputed amount, unlike other taxpayers who challenge their assessment are required to do. That’s left the city of Rye in the lurch because it is responsible for guaranteeing school and county taxes. They are required pay those entities the full amount of the tax warrant, regardless of how much the city is able to collect.

Earlier this year, the city fronted the Rye city school district $2.2 million to cover the taxes that Westchester and Standard Amusements were to pay while the assessment case is under appeal.

Meanwhile, Rye has resisted sending the full amount of county taxes due from city taxpayers to Westchester County. Westchester responded with a demand for the entire bill of $14 million, and imposed interest penalties amounting to $840,000 on Rye.

I’ll be monitoring the case, so expect more to come as the Playland tax tangle unravels.

Tax Watch award

I drove to the Rochester area on Monday to accept the media award from the annual conference of the New York State Assessors Association. It’s the third time I’ve won the award since I launched the Tax Watch column in 2012.

In my acceptance speech, I thanked the assessors for their dedication to fairness and equity in helping administer the property tax system.

Presenting the award was Scott Shedler, legislative director of the Assessors Association and the recently retired Ramapo assessor .

"Through meticulous research and insightful analysis, Dave Wilson has transformed the complex world of property assessments and taxes into a narrative that informs and empowers the community," Shedler said. "His outstanding work not only enlightens readers but also drives meaningful conversations about fairness and accountability in our local governance."

Reach out

I'm always interested in hearing from readers with feedback or tips. I can be reached by email at dwilson3@lohud.com

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Ossining school bond wins, Playland tax tangle, and Tax Watch columnist wins an award