Suffolk taxpayers to receive $8M in Sandy-related property tax relief

Almost two years after superstorm Sandy smashed ashore, about $8 million in property tax refunds and assessment reductions are set to be mailed out to Suffolk County taxpayers whose homes suffered moderate to severe damage in the storm, county treasurer Angie Carpenter announced Wednesday.

Carpenter said the refunds and reductions were made possible by the Superstorm Sandy Assessment Relief Act, state legislation passed in 2013 that gave nine counties with heavy storm damage, including Nassau and Suffolk and their towns, school districts and other special districts, the option to lower or eliminate assessments on improved business and residential properties.

"No one who lived through Sandy will soon forget the force of the storm and the destruction, loss of life and misery it caused," Carpenter said in a statement. "Hopefully, the refunds and reductions being mailed out today will help relieve some of the financial burden still felt by so many Suffolk County property owners."

More than 11,000 Long Island taxpayers whose homes or businesses were damaged by Sandy had applied for assessment reductions earlier this year. At the time, Suffolk officials estimated a loss of roughly $10 million.

Under the legislation, counties can issue bonds for as long as 10 years to pay for assessment reductions.