THE ASSEMBLY S TATE OF NEW YORK ALBANY

GEORGE AMEDORE Assemblyman 105TH District

RANKING MINORITY MEMBER Energy COMMITTEES Agriculture Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Insurance

September 6, 2011

Dear Governor Cuomo: I would like to thank you and your team on the response to tropical storm Irene and the new round of flooding this past week. Never before have I experienced such a direct, open and coordinated line of communications between various levels of government and agencies. It truly speaks of what we can accomplish when we do the heavy lifting together and work toward a common goal as New Yorkers. As you are aware, many people have lost their homes completely or suffered extensive damages, which will take a vast amount of their resources to recover. Although their property has immediately lost market value, they are still responsible for paying taxes on the full assessment created in the 2011 tax roll. As we enter the recovery and restoration phase of this process, I would like to bring to your attention a piece of legislation, which could dramatically aid victims during this time of crisis. The Flood Assessment Relief Act, which was previously enacted in 2005 and 2007, would provide tax assessment relief to those who were victims of this years flooding. 1 In my conversation with the Office of Real Property Tax Services, it was noted that funding in the 2008 budget was provided to municipalities and school districts to offset the amount paid toward relief. Since I feel this would be a valuable tool toward recovery, I thought it was important to bring this to your attention. I have already requested that this legislation be drafted to reflect the situations in the 21 counties granted full federal assistance; however I wanted to capture your thoughts before I introduced the bill. 2 My desire is to see this legislation passed to help our citizens. As a program bill or part of the 201213 budget, it would certainly advance with the addition of your full endorsement. As an additional note, I have asked that the school districts and municipalities in the 105th Assembly District consider extending a 90-day penalty free period for property taxes due this month. I understand that RPT 925-A section 2 offers specific provisions relating to your authority to do so, however the districts are amendable to exploring their legal right not to enforce the penalty unilaterally. Should you have any guidance on this issue, it would be most appreciated. Again, thank you for your assistance during this difficult time and I look forward to working with you through this crisis and as we tackle the other issues facing New York. Although it has been a troubling time over the past several weeks, I am inspired by the collaborative actions of our state government. Sincerely,

George Amedore Member of Assembly 105th District

1

Flood Assessment Relief Act Chapter .132 of 2005, revised as Chapter .42 of 2005; North Country Flood Assessment Relief Act Chapter .222 of 2005; FARA Chapter .15 of 2007 (S.1584-A Libous/A4868-B Lupardo)
2

Albany, Clinton, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Montgomery, Nassau, Orange, Otsego, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, and Westchester
DISTRICT OFFICE: 1170 Riverfront Center, Amsterdam, New York 12010 518-843-0227, FAX 518-843-0049 ALBANY OFFICE: Room 718, Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York 12248 518-455-5197, FAX 518-455-5435 E-mail: amedorg@assembly.state.ny.us