NYS Senate poised to pass package of 'storm recovery' bills
Waves pummel Southold Town Beach during Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. Credit: Randee Daddona
ALBANY — Homeowners whose property has been damaged by severe weather events could get a break on their tax assessments, under a bill gaining traction at the State Capitol.
The State Senate plans to approve the bill Tuesday. It would be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2020 — meaning homeowners could submit claims for any damages caused after that date and apply for a property assessment decrease. It wouldn’t be automatic; even if state government approves the program, a municipality would have to agree to participate.
It’s one element of what Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins calls a comprehensive package of eight “storm recovery” bills. Other measures would spark an investigation of flood insurance, reconvene the state’s Sea Level Rise Task Force and expand a program that allows coastal homeowners access to certain insurance — especially on Long Island’s North Shore.
Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) is carrying the tax assessment bill herself, which increases its clout.
“I am particularly proud of my bill in this package, which will help New Yorkers facing housing insecurity after being stuck with large property tax bills following severe weather events,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement to Newsday.
Under her bill, a municipality would have the option to participate and place limits on the amount of tax relief granted.
The state Office of Real Property Tax Services would produce an “assessment relief” form that homeowners would submit to local assessors, complete with documentation of the damage. Local assessors would decide the claim, though homeowners would have an appeal process.
Stewart-Cousins, in a memo filed with the bill, said it is modeled after a similar initiative created after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Once the Senate approves the bill, the state Assembly would have to follow suit for the bill to advance to Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Another bill in the Senate Democrats’ package would expand the physical boundaries for participation in what is called the Coastal Market Assistance Program, which is meant to ensure homeowners are able to purchase insurance coverage in areas where private insurers are reluctant to go.
Currently, the program is limited to homes within 1 mile of the water in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island’s South Shore and 2,500 feet of the water on the Island’s North Shore, as well as the Bronx and Westchester County.
The new bill, led by State Sen. Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers), would expand it to homeowners within a mile of the water in all those areas, plus extend it to Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the Niagara River and the St. Lawrence River.
Another bill would require the state Department of Financial Services to produce a report on private flood insurance, including the affordability and availability, which could prompt further legislation.
A bill by State Sen. Monica Martinez (D-Brentwood) would reestablish the state’s Sea Level Rise Task Force, which issued a report and recommendations in 2010. Martinez said the state has been hit by many severe weather incidents since then and needs to review new information and adjust adaptation strategies.
“Recognizing that these transformative flooding events are no longer one-offs, but rather recurring threats to communities across Long Island, it is essential for our state's approach to reflect the evolving situation,” Martinez said in a statement.
