Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So with Edgemont looking to become a village, the impact could be significant for residents in Hartsdale. Increased property taxes and decreased services. For many residents the draw of Hartsdale is the lower taxes in spite of the sub-par school system. Many work around that by putting their kid in private school, which is still essentially cheaper than paying the much higher taxes of surrounding towns with better schools. Now one has to wonder if living in Hartsdale will be worth it's weight in gold if taxes increase and we are still attached to a sub-par school system plus town services are decreased.
Any Greenburgh residents aware of what's going on? Any feelings?
The following article was printed in the February 10th, 2017 edition of the Scarsdale Inquirer.
Quote:
Last week, Hartsdale homeowners gathered in a Manor Woods living room for an information session featuring appearances first by Supervisor Paul Feiner, Councilman Frances Sheehan, and then Edgemont Incorporation Council’s (EIC) Jeff Sherwin and Jon Lewis. The recently formed Hartsdale Neighbors Association (HNA) organized the evening to learn more about the status of Edgemont’s ambition to become a village, the potential impact on Hartsdale, and the Town Board’s plans to deter incorporation, or to respond should it occur.
The potential impact of Edgemont’s incorporation is drawing increased scrutiny and raising concern in neighboring Hartsdale. The daunting challenge to Greenburgh’s “Town Outside Villages” (TOV) posed by incorporation arises from the fact that Edgemont contains over 26% of TOV’s assessable property. Upon incorporation, more than one-quarter of TOV’s budgeted revenue would immediately disappear. Spreadsheets compiled by HNA members with past budgeting experience suggest that Edgemont incorporation will compel the Town Board to impose on remaining TOV homeowners significant property tax increases, major service cuts, or some combination thereof. The Town’s ability to make proportional budget cuts after Edgemont incorporation is complicated by the disparity between Edgemont’s population – just over 17% of the TOV total – and that community’s larger contribution to TOV’s revenue.
The meeting was held “off the record” to encourage candid dialogue, but a few general observations can be made. The Town Board is certain that incorporation is not in the best interests of Edgemont residents and believes that incorporation enthusiasm will wane as more information is disseminated about the potential financial risks and service challenges that the new village and its taxpayers will face. The Edgemont team, on the other hand, is confident that it has addressed the financial issues and the new village will even realize tax savings for its residents when controlling its budget and no longer subsidizing alleged town-wide inefficiencies.
Town officials and EIC representatives acknowledged that the financial impact of Edgemont incorporation on TOV could be mitigated by Edgemont’s need to procure services, primarily police and DPW. The Town of Greenburgh would be a natural partner for the new village and cuts to those essential departments might be limited if agreements could be reached. Edgemont, however, would hold the upper hand in any such negotiations by retaining the flexibility to solicit bids from a number of local authorities.
By the evening’s end, it became clear that Greenburgh was headed into uncharted territory. Hartsdale, Fairview, and the rest of TOV will be transformed by Edgemont’s incorporation. The status quo, preserved since TOV’s enormous growth in the 1950s, will be disrupted following the departure of a substantial portion of TOV’s tax base. Residents will reassess longstanding assumptions about TOV’s budget and question Town Board priorities. One possible outcome is a domino effect: Ardsley school district neighborhoods in TOV could join Ardsley village, and Hartsdale might explore incorporation. TOV voters facing significant town tax hikes and service cuts would likely take a longer look at school district and fire department budgets.
Interesting, isn't this like what Rye Brook did in the 1980s? It worked out very well for Rye Brook (a top school district and home values in the area), not so well for Port Chester.
Interesting, isn't this like what Rye Brook did in the 1980s? It worked out very well for Rye Brook (a top school district and home values in the area), not so well for Port Chester.
Yes, very similar but hard to say what the fallout will really be seeing as the citizens of Hartsdale will need to respond.
So with Edgemont looking to become a village, the impact could be significant for residents in Hartsdale. Increased property taxes and decreased services. For many residents the draw of Hartsdale is the lower taxes in spite of the sub-par school system. Many work around that by putting their kid in private school, which is still essentially cheaper than paying the much higher taxes of surrounding towns with better schools. Now one has to wonder if living in Hartsdale will be worth it's weight in gold if taxes increase and we are still attached to a sub-par school system plus town services are decreased.
Hi there, we are trying to understand this as we consider buying in the area. Can anyone clarify how private schools are cheaper than paying the taxes unless potentially you only have one child(even so, nearby hackley is 46k).
We have two little ones and while the Edgemont taxes are scary they still seem more affordable than private school.
Hi there, we are trying to understand this as we consider buying in the area. Can anyone clarify how private schools are cheaper than paying the taxes unless potentially you only have one child(even so, nearby hackley is 46k).
We have two little ones and while the Edgemont taxes are scary they still seem more affordable than private school.
Thoughts?
I think that the way that lots of people think of taxes, it boils down to a couple of factors that cloud the "equivalence" equation:
Pricing Choices. Not all private schools cost what Hackley does. So some people simply make the choice to include a cheaper school in doing the math as to what the equivalent cost will be. Also, costs for early grades are often lower than for middle/high school.
Duration. Taxes are a long-term thing; you have to keep paying even when you don't have kids in the school. Some people don't relish the idea of moving from the home in which they raised their children just to save money on taxes. And they don't go down (usually).
Number of Children. This is a pretty big one for families with lots of children (as you correctly point out).
College Cost Exchange. This one is largely emotional, but has been cited to me on separate occasions. When you are sending kids to private high school, you simply add on some additional cost to the spend when it's time to send the kids to college. Public school parents keep paying the tax for the high school and tack on the college costs on top. There are flaws to this argument (notably that you have to live somewhere, so the private school parent is really paying something for public schools throughout).
There are flaws to this argument (notably that you have to live somewhere, so the private school parent is really paying something for public schools throughout).
This is important. It's not the cost of private school vs. the tax bill it's the cost of private school vs. the difference in taxes between 2 locations. Even "bad" school districts in Westchester still have pretty high tax rates. In Scarsdale or Edgemont you’re paying 2.5%-3% for your property taxes and if you’re in White Plains or Ossining you’re still paying what 2%? So on a $1M house in a “good” district you’re paying $25,000-$30,000 in taxes. You can get roughly the same house for maybe 15%-20% less in a “bad” district. So you’re paying $16,000-$20,000 in taxes and the cost of private school tuition should be compared to that $9,000-$10,000 tax savings not the total $25,000-$30,000 tax bill. Yes the house was cheaper but I think it's difficult to find places in Westchester where private school is truly a cheaper option.
Hi there, we are trying to understand this as we consider buying in the area. Can anyone clarify how private schools are cheaper than paying the taxes unless potentially you only have one child(even so, nearby hackley is 46k).
We have two little ones and while the Edgemont taxes are scary they still seem more affordable than private school.
Thoughts?
This is not meant to be rude, but you pay property taxes no matter where (or if) your kids attend school. I am only making this comment because your second sentence seems to imply that a home owner can choose to not pay their property tax whenever they choose to enroll the child in private school.
Property taxes are a fixed variable. The analysis is: (property taxes + private school tuition) vs. (property taxes + 0). Obviously, public schools will always be cheaper. It can never be true that private schools are cheaper.
Instead, what you may be considering is this: (property taxes in bad district + private school tuition) vs. (property taxes in good district + 0). As has been well explained in this thread, property taxes in the so-called bad districts are really not that much less. You just need to pick a candidate house in Edgemont and in whatever other district you are looking at, and run the numbers. You will need to know the actual taxes paid at each house, purchase price for each, and private school tuition. Don't worry about generalities - it only matters what is cheaper in your instance.
Edgemont taxes are extremely high, around 3.3%. However, the house prices are lower due to the high property taxes. Conversely places with low property taxes like Rye (~1.6%), tend to have higher priced houses.
"The family owns their home and has a household income of $140,000. Their assets (home equity and savings, but no retirement) total about $75,000.
Tuition -- $39,900
Estimated Family Contribution determined by SSS -- $5,900
Aid offered by Hackley-- $34,000"
So, if your kid is both bright enough and lucky enough to be accepted into one of these schools with large endowments, you can have 6 figures of income and pay only $6k/year tuition if you do not have a very high net worth or much equity in your home yet.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
