On April 9th there is a proposed Public Hearing on Local Law #1 of 2020. Whether or not it will take place is not known at the time of this writing.
Local Law #1 is a law that will allow the County to tax anyone on the installation of any energy saving systems, such as solar panels and wind systems.
These systems not only save the taxpayers on their energy costs but allows them to sell any unused energy to the local energy providers,(Nimo, Entergy , etc.)
The State allows these installations without any tax; encouraging the taxpayers to install them and freeing themselves of high costs and helping them earn some payback for their investment. It also frees them of the handcuffs put on them from the energy giants.
Now your Oswego County Legislature wants to stop that tax break and make money on any investment.
They will also increase your assessment which will increase your property taxes every year.
What they won’t do is decrease the value of the solar panels, when the panels decrease in output every year therefore decreasing their value and income to the taxpayer.
Yet they give millions of tax breaks a year to the Nuclear Plants in the way of P.I.L.O.T. agreements, but they don’t want to give you a tax break.
They gave multi year tax breaks to several solar farms in the County but they don’t want to give you a tax break, even though the solar farms increased the value of the land they are on. If you put a new building on your property, they will increase your assessment by the value of the building.
I voted in favor of the tax breaks for the solar farms because it was a way of saving the taxpayers money that was being promised.
I would not vote in favor of taking away the tax break to the taxpayers.
I would vote NO on local law #1 as should all Legislators.
If the Public Hearing goes on, attend and voice your opinion on the Local Law #1. Many won’t because they all know that what the Legislature wants to do they will do. They only listen during an election year.
If you aren’t able to attend, call your Legislator and let him know how you feel about not being able to get a tax break.
I will remind you next year how they voted on this Local Law.
Frank Castiglia Jr.
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