Up on the Board: Tax cap squeeze, former Jesuit retreat threatened
The estate was developed between 1916 and 1920 in North Hills and was donated to the Society of Jesus in 1937. (June 10, 2011) Credit: Newsday / Alejandra Villa
The editorial board is talking about the new math on the 2014 property tax cap. According to the state comptroller, counties and municipalities will face a 1.66 percent cap on increasing tax levies, instead of 2 percent. That’s because the cap calculation is based on inflation or 2 percent, whichever is lower. Budgeting for that is going to be challenging, especially since the government inflationary guidelines – the Consumer Price Index – doesn’t include rising fuel prices. School districts will learn their capped rate in November.
And we’re concerned about the fate of Inisfada, the St. Ignatius Retreat House in North Hills. This mansion formerly owned by the Jesuits could be razed and the land redeveloped – a terrible loss of a beautiful old building.
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Up on the Board is the editorial board's blog about what we just discussed at our weekday morning meeting. These meetings are where we talk about the news of the day and hash out our positions for the opinion sections of Newsday and amNew York.
