Bill Text: NY A07792 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Relates to payments for certain school, fire, fire protection and ambulance districts for lands exempt from real property taxation for purposes which implement the Peconic Bay community preservation fund.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - referred to local governments [A07792 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-A07792-Amended.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
           S. 4539--C                                            A. 7792--C
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                             S E N A T E - A S S E M B L Y
                                    April 24, 2009
                                      ___________
       IN SENATE -- Introduced by Sen. LAVALLE -- read twice and ordered print-
         ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Govern-
         ment  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered reprinted as
         amended and recommitted to said  committee  --  committee  discharged,
         bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as amended and recommitted to said
         committee -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted  as
         amended and recommitted to said committee
       IN  ASSEMBLY  --  Introduced by M. of A. THIELE, ALESSI -- read once and
         referred  to  the  Committee  on  Local   Governments   --   committee
         discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
         to  said  committee  -- again reported from said committee with amend-
         ments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  committee
         --  again  reported  from  said  committee  with  amendments,  ordered
         reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
       AN ACT to amend the town  law,  in  relation  to  payments  for  certain
         school,  fire,  fire  protection,  and  ambulance  districts for lands
         exempt from real property taxation for purposes  which  implement  the
         Peconic  Bay  community  preservation fund, and permitting the town of
         Southampton to make such payments in certain cases; and providing  for
         the repeal of certain provisions upon expiration thereof
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 64-e of the town law,  as  amended
    2  by chapter 373 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:
    3    3.  The  purposes of the fund shall be exclusively, (a) to implement a
    4  plan for the preservation of community character  as  required  by  this
    5  section,  (b)  to  acquire  interests or rights in real property for the
    6  preservation of community character within the town  including  villages
    7  therein  in  accordance  with  such plan and in cooperation with willing
    8  sellers, (c) to establish a bank pursuant to a transfer  of  development
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD02557-11-9
       S. 4539--C                          2                         A. 7792--C
    1  rights  program  consistent with section two hundred sixty-one-a of this
    2  chapter, (d) to provide a management and stewardship  program  for  such
    3  interests  and  rights  consistent  with subdivisions nine and nine-a of
    4  this  section  and  in  accordance  with  such plan designed to preserve
    5  community character; provided that not more than ten percent of the fund
    6  shall be utilized for the management and stewardship program[,  and  (e)
    7  to  make  payments  to  fire, fire protection and ambulance districts in
    8  connection with lands owned by the state or  any  municipal  corporation
    9  within  the  central  pine barrens area as defined in subdivision ten of
   10  section 57-0107 of the environmental conservation law. Such payments may
   11  only be made to districts where more than  twenty-five  percent  of  the
   12  assessed  value  of  such  district  is wholly exempt from real property
   13  taxation pursuant to the real property tax law because it  is  owned  by
   14  the  state  or a municipal corporation. Not more than ten percent of the
   15  fund may be used for said purpose in any calendar year. School districts
   16  shall also be eligible for such payments, provided (1) that real proper-
   17  ty within such school district has been made  wholly  exempt  from  real
   18  property  taxation  pursuant  to the real property tax law to effectuate
   19  the purposes of the fund, and (2) such school district is determined  to
   20  be  a  high  need  or  average need school district pursuant to the need
   21  resource capacity index established by the state  education  department.
   22  Such  payments  from  the fund shall not exceed the actual tax liability
   23  that would have been due if such lands of the state or  of  a  municipal
   24  corporation  had been subject to real property taxation. Where more than
   25  one district is eligible for such a payment under  this  provision,  and
   26  such  payment is less than the actual tax liability that would have been
   27  due if such lands of the state  or  a  municipal  corporation  had  been
   28  subject  to real property taxation, the town shall apportion such annual
   29  payment on the basis of the total tax levied by each district within the
   30  town for the year such payment is made. Such payment made  by  the  town
   31  shall be used solely to reduce the property tax liability of the remain-
   32  ing  taxpayers of the district within said town].  If the implementation
   33  of the community preservation project plan, adopted by a town board,  as
   34  provided  in  subdivision  six  of this section, has been completed, and
   35  funds are no longer needed for the purposes outlined  in  this  subdivi-
   36  sion,  then  any remaining monies in the fund shall be applied to reduce
   37  any bonded  indebtedness  or  obligations  incurred  to  effectuate  the
   38  purposes of this section.
   39    S 2. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the town of
   40  Southampton  may  make  annual  payments from its community preservation
   41  fund to certain high-tax school, fire, fire  protection,  and  ambulance
   42  districts,  listed  in  this section, located either wholly or partially
   43  within the central pine barrens area as defined  in  subdivision  10  of
   44  section  57-0107  of  the environmental conservation law.  Such payments
   45  may be made to mitigate the impact of the loss tax revenues  from  lands
   46  made  wholly  exempt  as  a  result of their acquisition by the federal,
   47  state, or local government for the preservation of  community  character
   48  as defined in subdivision 4 of section 64-e of the town law. The follow-
   49  ing districts shall be eligible: Riverhead School District, Hampton Bays
   50  School  District,  Eastport-South  Manor School District, Riverhead Fire
   51  District, Flanders  Fire  District,  Flanders  -  Northampton  Ambulance
   52  District.
   53    S  3.  Such  payments made by the town of Southampton pursuant to this
   54  act shall only be made for lands within such districts which are  wholly
   55  exempt from real property taxation pursuant to the real property tax law
   56  that  have been acquired by the federal government, state government, or
       S. 4539--C                          3                         A. 7792--C
    1  a municipal corporation for community preservation purposes pursuant  to
    2  section  64-e  of  the town law, whether or not said lands were actually
    3  acquired with community preservation funds. For the purposes  of  deter-
    4  mining the payment to each eligible district, each eligible parcel shall
    5  be assessed in the same manner as state lands, as provided for in subdi-
    6  vision  one  of  section 542 of the real property tax law.  Such assess-
    7  ments shall be approved by the state board of real property services  in
    8  the  same  manner  as  state  lands, as provided for in subdivision 3 of
    9  section 542 of the real property tax law.  Such eligible  parcels  shall
   10  be  reassessed  annually.  The town shall apply each eligible district's
   11  tax rate to determine the maximum payment for each  eligible  parcel  in
   12  that district.
   13    S  4.  Where the total annual budget appropriation by the town for the
   14  payments provided for by this act is less than  the  aggregate  payments
   15  for all districts, then the town shall apportion such annual payment for
   16  each  district  based on a percentage calculated as a proportion of each
   17  district's payment to the aggregate of payments to all  districts.    In
   18  such  case,  each  district  shall receive its proportional share of the
   19  budget appropriation.  Such payment made by the town shall be used sole-
   20  ly to reduce the property tax liability of the  remaining  taxpayers  of
   21  the  district  within  such  town.  Not more than 10 percent of the fund
   22  collected in any fiscal year may be used for  the  purpose  outlined  in
   23  this  section.    The  last  fiscal year for which twelve full months of
   24  collected revenue is available shall be used to  determine  the  maximum
   25  appropriation  permitted  by this section. The maximum percentage of the
   26  fund to be appropriated for such payments for any year or years  may  be
   27  reduced  below  10  percent  by an election upon proposition pursuant to
   28  section 81 of the town law.
   29    S 5. The town board shall adopt an annual  plan  before  the  payments
   30  authorized  by  this  act  may be made. No monies from the fund shall be
   31  expended for such payments, except as approved in said plan.  Said  plan
   32  shall  specify  each parcel eligible for a payment and shall provide for
   33  the amount of payment for each eligible parcel for  the  current  fiscal
   34  year  as well as an estimate for the following fiscal year. In addition,
   35  such plan shall provide the assessed value of each eligible parcel. Said
   36  plan shall be approved and adopted by the  town  board  after  a  public
   37  hearing.
   38    S  6.  All  local  laws enacted by the town of Southampton pursuant to
   39  chapter 250 of the laws of 2002 and chapter 531 of the laws of 2007, are
   40  hereby legalized, validated, ratified, and  confirmed.    All  appropri-
   41  ations  by  the  town  of  Southampton to the Riverhead school district,
   42  Hampton Bays school  district,  Eastport-South  Manor  school  district,
   43  Riverhead  fire district, Flanders fire district, Flanders - Northampton
   44  ambulance district pursuant to paragraph (e) of subdivision 3 of section
   45  64-e of the town law for the years 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 are hereby
   46  legalized, validated, ratified, and confirmed, provided that the town of
   47  Southampton shall repay to its community preservation fund,  established
   48  pursuant  to  subdivision  2  of section 64-e of the town law, an amount
   49  equal to the aggregate overpayments made to  the  aforementioned  school
   50  and  special districts for the years 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, includ-
   51  ing overpayments resulting from the incorrect assessment of lands eligi-
   52  ble for payments, pursuant to paragraph (e) of subdivision 3 of  section
   53  64-e  of  the  town law. The state comptroller shall review, confirm and
   54  certify the amount of such overpayments.  Within  thirty  days  of  such
   55  certification, the town board of the town of Southampton shall prepare a
   56  repayment  plan  and  submit  such  plan  to  the  state comptroller for
       S. 4539--C                          4                         A. 7792--C
    1  approval or approval with modifications. The state comptroller shall act
    2  to  approve  or  approve  with  modifications  within  thirty  days   of
    3  submission  of  the  repayment plan by the town of Southampton. The town
    4  shall  implement the repayment plan as approved or approved with modifi-
    5  cations by the state comptroller.
    6    S 7. This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately,  provided  that  the
    7  provisions  of sections two, three, four, five and six of this act shall
    8  remain in full force and effect until December 31, 2030 when  upon  such
    9  date,  the  provisions  of  such  sections  shall  expire  and be deemed
   10  repealed.
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