Press release of August 24, 2011

Average increase of 2.77 percent

BH-BL school tax bills to go out August 29

BURNT HILLS:  The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district has received final tax equalization rates for the towns of Ballston, Charlton, Glenville and Clifton Park, and school tax bills are ready to be mailed to property owners on August 29.

     The total tax levy is the same amount as was projected last May, but reduced property assessments in two of the district's four towns mean that tax rates need to increase slightly more than had been projected to generate the same number of tax dollars.

      On August 9, BH-BL Board of Education members formally approved a total tax levy of $34,281,282. This is the the identical amount as was projected at the time of the school budget vote in May.

        The levy includes $4,686,191 in taxes that will be paid by the state under the STAR program. The overall 2011-12 school budget is $54,769,942.

Tax rate changes for each town

      School tax rates are increasing by 2.77 percent on average across the district's four towns. This is a weighted average that takes into consideration the fact that Ballston and Glenville make up much larger portions of the school district than Charlton and Clifton Park.

     Tax rate changes are different for each town based on equalization rates set by the NY Office of Real Property Tax Services (ORPTS).  ORPTS is the state agency that calculates equalization rates each year in an effort to spread the tax burden across a school district from town to town as fairly as possible.

      Ballston's equalization rate grew by four percent this summer, while equalization rates for the other three towns stayed the same, assistant superintendent Jacqueline St. Onge says. "Each year changes in the state-supplied equalization rates cause the tax burden to shift a bit across our four towns," she explains. "This fall Ballston residents are benefiting, while in 2010 our Glenville residents had a markedly lower tax rate increase than the other towns, and in 2009 it was our Clifton Park residents who benefited. These shifts tend to even out over time."

      Differences among the four towns reflect the amount of new construction in each town, the rise or fall in property values there, any assessment reductions, and how close assessed values are to full market value —  in the estimation of ORPTS.

      Specifically, BH-BL school tax RATES are increasing by only 0.01% percent in Ballston, and by 4.35 percent each in Charlton, Glenville, and Clifton Park.

    Specific numbers for each town are shown in the following chart. Tax rates are rounded to the nearest whole penny. These numbers do NOT include changes due to the new STAR exemption cap described below.

      From 2010 to 2011, total assessed property values in the BH-BL portions of the towns grew by $3.5 million in Ballston and by $1.4 million in Charlton, but assessments FELL by $64,000 in Clifton Park and by $870,000 in Glenville.  "We are seeing more property owners grieve their assessments in the last year or two, and lower assessments impact the distribution of the tax burden too," says St. Onge.

      Based on assessed property values, the town of Glenville now makes up 38% of the BH-BL school district, while Ballston is 37%, Charlton is 20%, and Clifton Park is only 6%. Total assessed value of all property in the district is $1.5 billion.

STAR savings increases now capped at 2 percent

      BH-BL residents' tax bills will also vary based on whether they have a Basic or Senior STAR exemption. Whereas the value of some BH-BL residents' STAR exemption grew by as much as 22% in 2010, the state Legislature has now limited STAR savings to a two percent annual increase.

    The school district and school budget play no role in determining STAR exemptions. A property owner's tax exemptions, including STAR savings, are printed on each tax bill. Information about STAR exemptions can be found on the NY Department of Taxation & Finance website here. Specific STAR exemption values for each BH-BL town are listed by county here.

Payment details

       BH-BL school tax bills will be mailed out on August 29. Payment checks should be made out to "BH-BL Schools" and mailed to the Receiver of Taxes, BH-BL Schools, 50 Cypress Drive, Glenville, NY 12302. Credit card or partial payments of taxes cannot be accepted.

       During the month of September, residents who wish to pay their tax bills in person may do so at the First New York Federal Credit Union at 19 Glenridge Road, Glenville, across from the Glenville town library.

       From September 1 – 22, the credit union will be accepting tax payments ONLY on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

       From September 24 – 30, the credit union will accept in-person tax payments any day except Sunday during its regular banking hours, which are printed on the tax bill.

       To avoid penalties, tax bills must be paid or postmarked no later than September 30.  Bills paid from October 1 through October 31 incur a two percent penalty.

For those interested in more information:

     The school district determines only the total tax levy. It plays no role in determining how much of the levy is paid by any one town or any one landowner. (See BH-BL Tax Bills Timeline for more information on who decides what when in the annual school tax process.)

	BH-BL Tax Bills Timeline: who decides what when
	2011-12 Budget Development Process
	Board of Education homepage
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