Recap

The local community college created a non-profit agency for the purpose of building a dormitory complex.

The Dormitory Corporation Board mirrors that of the College Board. According to the state comptroller’s office, only the county governing body may authorize issuance of indebtedness to finance the construction of a dormitory. Funding mechanisms for the IDA enable the county to be the issuer of the indebtedness.

However, the IDA has employment criteria to meet. This project requires $12,000,000 to provide the county with the benefit of approximately 80 short-term construction jobs and, at the most, ten permanent positions.

The reader should also bear in mind that non-profit organizations do not derive obvious benefit from IDA tax incentives.

The Plan

The plan is to build a 320-bed dormitory to house first year students. The college rarely has 320 students requiring housing per semester. Furthermore, the stipulation that first-year students live on campus is a virtual death blow to off-campus housing since, historically, the college has a high rate of non-return.

Additionally, the proposal does not plan for sufficient parking allocation for a project of this size and scope.

The College Board recently announced its intention to have classes begin before Labor Day.

The private dorm owners, who currently have the ability to rent their property year-round, would then have the choice of renting to students or summer residents. Either way, their income will decrease but their taxes will not. The Town of Fallsburg currently has one of the highest property tax rates in the county, primarily attributable to nearly 40 percent of all properties being tax exempt. Additional tax exemptions would assuredly raise that percentage, and consequently, taxes.

The Opposition

As recently as early this year, opposition was expressed by Legisladies Binder and Goodman. The district is represented by Mrs. Binder and neighbors Mrs. Goodman’s. Opposition was also expressed by Fallsburg Town Supervisor Steven Levine, Sullivan County Visitors Association President Gene Lomoriello, Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jacquie Leventoff and of course, the landowners.

A 320-bed dormitory for first-year students, along with the inevitable loss of summer income expected from an early start in the semester, would substantially cut into private taxpaying landowner’s income.

When the landowners, legislators and other opponents protested a recent proposal to open the college in mid-August, Board of Trustee Chair Ken Klein stated, “I don’t appreciate being confronted and accused of doing something before it has happened.”

The Final Solution

To the landowners: Take Mr. Klein’s advice and wait until the damage is done to voice your displeasure. When you can no longer afford to pay your taxes, relinquish your property to the county so that they can go ahead and convey your land to the Dormitory Corporation through the IDA, which is what will happen anyway.

Save your strength; you’ll need it.

There will be a public hearing on this subject on Tuesday, April 18, at 10 a.m. in the College Dining Hall.

Please attend!