City, County Tussle Over Tax Charges

A resolution passed Oct. 13 would prevent Albany County from reimbursing municipalities for unpaid charges levied on property tax bills for items like snow removal, boarding up buildings, illegal trash and dumping and vacant building registry until the county recoups the costs. Shortly after the resolution's passage, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Treasurer Darius Shahinfar and city Chief Auditor Leif Engstrom sent a letter to County Executive Daniel McCoy urging him to veto the resolution, stressing they didn't have prior notice of the proposal and it could leave the city open to losing other reimbursements — causing possibly a nearly $2 million hole in the 2017 budget. Legislators in favor of the new measure have said paying these additional fees – pinpointing Albany's trash fee as an example – upfront with no guarantee of payment is unfair for county taxpayers. The County Legislature's Democratic majority, led by Frank Commisso Sr., an Albany legislator, issued a press release the day after city officials sent their letter to McCoy, criticizing the city for "incorrect information to politicize" the resolution passed. The majority says the city is exaggerating the financial impact the resolution will have on Albany taxpayers, stating the county paid the city $277,187 for things like board-ups and building stabilizations, illegal trash and snow removal in 2015.