KINGSTON, NY – On October 18, 2022 the Legislature unanimously approved Local Law Number 9, which will enable the three villages in Ulster County to opt into allowing the County Department of Finance to collect delinquent property taxes on their behalf. The consolidation of service will allow village governments to save taxpayer dollars which would have been otherwise used to cover the legal costs associated with foreclosure proceedings and more expediently collect these needed funds.
While towns and school districts regularly provide the county with lists of delinquent properties, under current County Law villages are the only tax levying authority ineligible to opt into this service. Ulster is one of the only remaining counties in New York State which does not offer villages this option.
“I have worked to get this local law passed for the last five years and I am happy my colleagues agree to bring Ulster County in line with just about every other County in New York State by making all of our municipalities whole, by now including villages. Allowing the County, that already has the mechanisms and process in place, to collect outstanding taxes for our villages we eliminate another duplication in government services which will allow for more realistic budgets, saving property owners who do pay their tax bills money,” said Legislator Joe Maloney (District 2, Town and Village of Saugerties).
“This local law has been a long time coming and I am happy to see it finally come to fruition. I cannot speak for every village, but I can tell you that this will be a major relief for Ellenville. Not knowing when they will receive all of their property taxes makes planning and managing annual budgets very difficult for village government. Being able to accurately account for tax revenue will allow village officials to develop budgets that improve efficiencies and predictably cover expenses for Ellenville residents,” said Legislator John Gavaris (District 15, Ellenville and Wawarsing), Ways and Means Committee Chair. He added, “Reasonable consolidation of services between the County and municipalities reduces duplications and is something we as elected officials should constantly be striving towards.”
In an effort to avoid legal complications and give property owners the ability to pay delinquent taxes, lawmakers decided to draft this legislation without the inclusion of a lookback period. Under state law, tax foreclosure proceedings cannot begin until the third consecutive year of non-payment.
The law will take effect immediately upon receipt by the New York Secretary of State. Full text of Local Law Number 9 of 2022 can be found on the Legislature’s website and by clicking HERE.
xxx
