District Officials Meet With Nassau County Legislature on Taxable Status of Green Acres Mall
On June 19th, members of Valley Stream District 30’s administration and
Board of Education met with the Nassau County Legislature regarding the
revocation of the Green Acres Mall Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) and
the Mall’s taxable status for the 2017-18 school year. Superintendents
and representatives from the other Valley Stream component districts, as
well as a number of community residents, also attended the meeting.
District 30 officials advocated that, in light of the Industrial
Development Agency’s decision to revoke the Green Acres Mall PILOT, that
the Mall properties be restored to their full taxable status for the
2017-18 school year. Despite repeated attempts for information
concerning the Mall’s taxable status, District 30 has yet to receive any
update on the matter. “This lack of information is extremely
concerning,” said Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nicholas Stirling.”
“Our district must set its tax levy for the 2017-18 school year by
August 15, 2017; without knowing the taxable status of the mall, the
district will be forced to calculate the tax levy without accounting for
the mall’s share. This could potentially shift $14 million to the
residents of our community, a burden I know they cannot bear.”
The potential shift in the tax burden is the direct result
of the Mall property being removed from the tax rolls and no longer
paying PILOTs. “It would be a double whammy for us and would either be
devastating to our community taxpayers or to the programs we offer our
students,” said Dr. Stirling.
At the meeting on June 19th, several legislators voiced
their opinion that the decision on whether the Mall should be restored
to its full taxable status can only be decided at the state level, while
others agreed that it could be resolved locally through a “correction
of errors” process. “District 30 fully advocates that this issue needs
to be resolved at the local level so that we can have a thoughtful, yet
speedy, decision on this matter before our August 15th deadline,” said
Dr. Stirling.
District 30 remains committed to moving forward and working
collaboratively with its component districts. “I know that we all share
the same goal – that is to provide the best education possible for the
students of our districts, without placing undue burden on our community
taxpayers,” said Dr. Stirling. “By working together, rather than
divisively, we can accomplish more.”