Monday marked the birthday of an important U.S. aviation pioneer who now is largely forgotten. Glenn Curtiss was born in Hammondsport, New York. He was the first U.S. motorcycle champion, setting a speed record of 136 miles an hour in 1907. Turning to aviation, he set many speed and distance records in the first decade of powered flight. Curtiss built the navy’s first aircraft, and later huge four-engined flying boats. One, the NC-4, made the first transatlantic crossing by an airplane in 1919. Glenn Curtiss held U.S. pilot’s license number one. Today, just over 594,000 Americans hold pilot’s licenses. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.
Discuss and more on the Open Lines!
Are the following assumptions correct?
1. For purposes of understanding county government budgeting property taxes can be considered income and unpaid (uncollected) property tax is lost income?
2. County expenses (wages, healthcare, building maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, supplies, etc) are all paid through property taxes collected?
3. When actual property tax collections is less than the budgeted collection the income is less than actual expenses the county budget is in the red?
Are my three assumptions correct?
Using the public data of tax liens I separated the 368 individuals, LLCs, churches, and companies who own multiple parcels from the single parcel owners. I sorted those 368 by amount owed. These 368 multiple parcel owners represent $628,570.76 (44.1%) of the total $1,426,727.79 tax liens. A further refinement finds that 63 (17.1%) of the 368 individuals, LLCs, churches, and companies who own multiple parcels account for $342,887.93 or 54.6% of the $628,570.76 in tax liens on multiple parcels. One more refinement of this august group of 368, I discovered two (2) LLCs account for $60,067.31 (17.5%) of the $342,887.93 past due property taxes. This equals the salary of at least one sheriff’s deputy.
These same 63 individuals, LLCs, churches, and companies have tax liens totally $403,973.02 for the years 2002 through 2010. What could the county due with $403,973.02? Combined this group of business leaders owes the county $740,647.88 in past due property taxes.
Maybe some of the elected leaders will think about what I have found while preparing their respective government budgets. Not everyone on the veranda of the county club sipping their adult beverage enjoying the Russian caviar and foie gras does pay property in full on time.
Don’t disagree with your overall point Michael, but 1. actual property tax collections is always less than actual expenses due to other sources of income ( such as sales tax) and 2. those on the veranda at the country club may be sipping their adult beverage, but due to these economic times, the Russian caviar and fois gras are long gone.
My understanding is that property tax collections are actually up the last year or so , esp. due to the new director there, who is going after all methods of collection, and much sooner than in the past. I believe the personal property tax collection ( such as cars, boats) is not good.
Maybe we need a foreclosure process on vehicles and get Lizard Lick Towing to help us set up a confiscated car sales lot!
Mingo,
Thank you for the information about the property and sales tax. I also understand that the County’s Tax Manager has been more aggressive collecting property taxes liens than her predecessor. I have heard that some county and city leaders are hesitant to follow an aggressive process collecting property tax liens because the potential of upsetting someone.
Also thank you for the update on the country club. I was unaware of the difficult times there.