Archive: News

New York State has agreed to pay $72,000 of back property taxes on its two juvenile detention centers on Auburn Road.  Well, not quite $72,000 -- about a third of that is late penalties and fees, which the State does not pay.   Lansing Town Attorney Guy Krogh told the Lansing town Board a week ago Wednesday that he had a signed letter from New York State confirming the taxes will be paid to the Town.  So Lansing will retrieve about $50,000 of that from the State.

"The king makes the rules," Krogh said.  "He doesn't abide by them.  So the king will not pay late fees or penalties.  They think it's just a matter of one arm not knowing what the other arm is doing.  I said I don't care why it happened -- I just want to get paid."

The money is owed from as far back as 2004, for either the The Finger Lakes Residential Center (known locally as 'the boys' school') or The Lansing Residential Center (the girl's school) or both.  According to Lansing Town Clerk Debbie Munson, back taxes are owed for one parcel 2004, both parcels 2014, 2015, 2016 and one parcel 2017.

 

"It's a big chunk," she said.

 

Krogh explained the delinquent taxes were likely a matter of bureaucratic confusion, as responsibility for paying the taxes fell from one state department to another.  he said the specialist he spoke to at the NYS Comptroller's Office was embarrassed

"They're not going to try to figure out how it happened, nor am I.  The faster route is to solve the problem" Krogh said.  "They suspect that what happened was that when these properties were being managed by a different department of the State or a public authority, that that was in their budget line and they just paid it directly out of their budget line,.  But when it fell to the Comptroller because it was no longer being managed by that department or agency, the Comptroller has a different process.  I would rather work toward the solution than finding the blame."

The Finger Lakes Residential Center is an eight-unit building on Auburn Road.  Each unit contains a multi-purpose area connecting to classrooms and contains vocational shops, dining area, a kitchen and classrooms.  The facility serves male juvenile delinquents between about 13 and 18 years old sentenced there by family court.

The Lansing Residential Center, currently closed, is adjacent to the boys' school.  It housed female juvenile delinquents aged 11 through 17 sentenced by family court.  It was closed by the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) in 2004, when pressure from New York City was put on the State to bring juvenile facilities closer to the residents' families, and bringing jobs to the New York City area.  The Lansing Girls Residential Center and Tryon Residential Center were shut down as a result.  The girls' school was put up for sale in 2004, when local officials toured the facility (click here for article and pictures) to see whether the Town of Lansing or some other entity might buy the property and its facilities.  Subsequently it was taken off the market, and local officials have had no word on what the State intends to do with it.

Krogh says he the Town will use a voucher system to retrieve the back and future taxes.

"I put it in a letter in the application, and filled out a data form," he said.  "And they said 'We have received your questionnaire.  We have examined it.  We'll need a bill for each year.  Here's a sample voucher.  here's where to send them.  So every year we'll send in a voucher and a copy of the bill, reference the date of this approval letter, and we'll theoretically be set for life until they decide to reinterpret or amend the statue, at least."

Krogh said that if the Town submits the forms quickly enough the State is expected to pay the taxes before the end of this year.

v13i42