Eliminates the separate utility class (class 3) in New York city.

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S150A-2011 Actions

• Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
• Jun 24, 2011: RECOMMITTED TO RULES
• Jun 21, 2011: ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1430
• Jun 21, 2011: COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES
• Mar 4, 2011: PRINT NUMBER 150A
• Mar 4, 2011: AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
• Jan 5, 2011: REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT

S150A-2011 Meetings

Rules: Jun 24, 2011

S150A-2011 Calendars

Floor Calendar: Jun 21, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 22, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 23, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 24, 2011

S150A-2011 Votes

S150A-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S150A

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the real property tax law, in relation to providing for the
elimination of the separate utility class (class 3) in New York city

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To provide for the merger of class three and four into a new single
class for the special assessing unit of New York city. The merger of
class shares of present classes three and four results in no revenue
loss to New York city.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Amends sections 1802 and 1805 of Article 18 of the Real Property Tax
Law to eliminate the definition and references to the utility
property class and to create a three class system with the present
class three and class four merged in New York city.

JUSTIFICATION:
In New York City, Con Edison constitutes seventy seven percent of the
assessed valuation of class three. Reductions in assessed values have
produced little or no tax relief because of increases in the class
three tax rates which have nullified the assessment reductions. Most
important, lower property taxes for public utilities mean lower
energy costs which provides relief to utility customers and helps New
York City attract and retain business.

As a practical matter because of the limited number of taxpayers in
the class there is no way under existing law for the public utilities
to challenge the assessed valuations of their properties within the
separate utility class and permanently reduce their property taxes
below the 1981-82 fixed share of the real property tax levy. This is
regardless of how meritorious their case may be.

Even the relief provided by the 1990 amendment to the real property
tax law which permitted land, buildings, and structures to be
transferred to class four from class three, did not include a great
portion of public utility property, mainly the special franchise
properties which are located in the public streets and ways.

This proposed legislation does not purport to create a fully equitable
taxation system among all classes of taxpayers in the special
assessing unit, but it would at least place public utilities on the
same basis as other commercial and industrial taxpayers.

More important, lower property taxes for public utilities mean lower
energy costs which in turn will help New York city keep existing
business and attract new businesses as well as give some relief to
all existing customers.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.8023/A.8926 of 2009-2010; Referred to Cities

EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately and applicable to assessment rolls with a taxable status
date following its effective date.

S150A-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                   150--A

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 5, 2011
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sen. MAZIARZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
    printed to be committed  to  the  Committee  on  Local  Government  --
    committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
    recommitted to said committee

  AN ACT to amend the real property tax law, in relation to providing  for
    the  elimination  of  the separate utility class (class 3) in New York
    city

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section  1.  The section heading and the opening paragraph of subdivi-
  sion 1 of section 1802 of the real property tax law, the section heading
  as added by chapter 1057 of the laws of 1981 and the  opening  paragraph
  of  subdivision  1  as separately amended by chapters 123 and 529 of the
  laws of 1990, are amended to read as follows:

    Classification of real  property  in  a  special  assessing  unit  NOT
  LOCATED WHOLLY WITHIN A CITY.
    All  real  property,  for  the  purposes of this article, in a special
  assessing unit NOT LOCATED WHOLLY WITHIN A CITY shall be  classified  as
  follows:

    S  2.  The  real  property  tax law is amended by adding a new section
  1802-a to read as follows:

    S 1802-A. CLASSIFICATION OF REAL PROPERTY IN A SPECIAL ASSESSING  UNIT
  LOCATED  WHOLLY WITHIN A CITY. 1. ALL REAL PROPERTY, FOR THE PURPOSES OF
  THIS ARTICLE, IN A SPECIAL ASSESSING UNIT LOCATED WHOLLY WITHIN  A  CITY
  SHALL BE CLASSIFIED AS FOLLOWS:

    CLASS  ONE: (A) ALL ONE, TWO AND THREE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL REAL PROPER-
  TY, INCLUDING SUCH DWELLINGS USED IN PART  FOR  NONRESIDENTIAL  PURPOSES
  BUT WHICH ARE USED PRIMARILY FOR RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES, EXCEPT SUCH PROP-
  ERTY  HELD  IN  COOPERATIVE OR CONDOMINIUM FORMS OF OWNERSHIP OTHER THAN
  (I) PROPERTY DEFINED IN SUBPARAGRAPHS (B) AND (C) OF THIS PARAGRAPH  AND

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD00699-04-1

 S. 150--A                           2

  (II)  PROPERTY  WHICH CONTAINS NO MORE THAN THREE DWELLING UNITS HELD IN
  CONDOMINIUM FORM OF OWNERSHIP AND WHICH WAS CLASSIFIED WITHIN THIS CLASS
  ON A PREVIOUS ASSESSMENT ROLL; AND PROVIDED  THAT,  NOTWITHSTANDING  THE
  PROVISIONS OF PARAGRAPH (G) OF SUBDIVISION TWELVE OF SECTION ONE HUNDRED
  TWO  OF THIS CHAPTER, A MOBILE HOME OR A TRAILER SHALL NOT BE CLASSIFIED
  WITHIN THIS CLASS UNLESS IT IS OWNER-OCCUPIED AND  SEPARATELY  ASSESSED;
  AND  (B) RESIDENTIAL REAL PROPERTY NOT MORE THAN THREE STORIES IN HEIGHT
  HELD IN CONDOMINIUM FORM OF OWNERSHIP, PROVIDED THAT  NO  DWELLING  UNIT
  THEREIN PREVIOUSLY WAS ON AN ASSESSMENT ROLL AS A DWELLING UNIT IN OTHER
  THAN  CONDOMINIUM  FORM  OF OWNERSHIP; AND (C) RESIDENTIAL REAL PROPERTY
  CONSISTING OF ONE FAMILY HOUSE STRUCTURES OWNED BY THE  OCCUPANT,  SITU-
  ATED  ON LAND HELD IN COOPERATIVE OWNERSHIP BY OWNER OCCUPIERS, PROVIDED
  THAT; (I) SUCH HOUSE STRUCTURES AND LAND CONSTITUTED  BUNGALOW  COLONIES
  IN  EXISTENCE PRIOR TO NINETEEN HUNDRED FORTY; AND (II) THE LAND IS HELD
  IN COOPERATIVE OWNERSHIP FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF MAINTAINING ONE  FAMILY
  RESIDENCES FOR MEMBERS OWN USE; AND (D) ALL VACANT LAND LOCATED WITHIN A
  SPECIAL  ASSESSING  UNIT  WHICH  IS  A  CITY OTHER THAN SUCH LAND IN THE
  BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN SOUTH OF OR ADJACENT TO THE  SOUTH  SIDE  OF  110TH
  STREET,  PROVIDED  THAT ANY SUCH VACANT LAND WHICH IS NOT ZONED RESIDEN-
  TIAL MUST BE SITUATED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO PROPERTY IMPROVED  WITH  A
  RESIDENTIAL  STRUCTURE  AS  DEFINED IN SUBPARAGRAPHS (A) AND (B) OF THIS
  PARAGRAPH, BE OWNED BY THE SAME OWNER AS SUCH IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT RESI-
  DENTIAL PROPERTY IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO AND SINCE JANUARY FIRST,  NINETEEN
  HUNDRED  EIGHTY-NINE,  AND  HAVE A TOTAL AREA NOT EXCEEDING TEN THOUSAND
  SQUARE FEET.
    CLASS TWO: ALL OTHER RESIDENTIAL REAL PROPERTY WHICH IS NOT DESIGNATED
  AS CLASS ONE, EXCEPT HOTELS AND  MOTELS  AND  OTHER  SIMILAR  COMMERCIAL
  PROPERTY.
    CLASS  THREE: ALL OTHER REAL PROPERTY WHICH IS NOT DESIGNATED AS CLASS
  ONE OR CLASS TWO.
    2. IN ADDITION TO ANY REQUIREMENTS OF LAW OR RULE OF THE COMMISSIONER,
  THE ASSESSMENT ROLL SHALL CONTAIN A SEPARATE COLUMN FOR THE ENTRY OF THE
  CLASS DESIGNATION REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION. THE ASSESSOR SHALL ENTER THE
  APPROPRIATE CLASS DESIGNATION IN THIS COLUMN FOR EACH PARCEL  LISTED  ON
  THE ASSESSMENT ROLL.
    3.  THE  DETERMINATION  OF  INCLUSION  WITHIN A CLASS PURSUANT TO THIS
  SECTION SHALL BE  SUBJECT  TO  ADMINISTRATIVE  AND  JUDICIAL  REVIEW  AS
  PROVIDED BY LAW FOR THE REVIEW OF ASSESSMENTS.
    S  3.  Subdivision  3 of section 1805 of the real property tax law, as
  amended by chapter 143 of the laws of 1989, and as  further  amended  by
  subdivision  (b)  of  section  1  of part W of chapter 56 of the laws of
  2010, is amended to read as follows:

    3. If the assessment appearing on an assessment roll completed  on  or
  after  January  first,  nineteen  hundred  eighty-two for any parcel not
  subject to the provisions of subdivision one or  two  of  this  section,
  other  than  a  parcel  classified in class three IN A SPECIAL ASSESSING
  UNIT NOT LOCATED WHOLLY WITHIN THE CITY, is greater than the  assessment
  appearing  on  the  previous  year's  assessment roll the assessor shall
  determine a transition assessment for such parcel for the first  assess-
  ment  roll  on which such greater assessment appears and for each of the
  succeeding four assessment rolls by  computing  the  difference  between
  such  greater  assessment  and the assessment appearing on such previous
  year's assessment roll and adding  the  following  percentages  of  such
  difference  to  the assessment appearing on such previous year's assess-
  ment roll: in the first year, twenty percent; in the second year,  forty
  percent;  in  the  third year, sixty percent; in the fourth year, eighty

 S. 150--A                           3

  percent; and in the fifth year, one hundred percent. If  the  assessment
  of  a  parcel  is increased during a period for which transition assess-
  ments have been established because of any prior  assessment  increases,
  such  new  increase  shall  be  phased-in over a five-year period as set
  forth in this subdivision, and such phased-in increases shall  be  added
  to  the  transitional  assessments  previously established for the prior
  increase; provided, however, that if in any  year  any  such  transition
  assessment exceeds the actual assessment for such year, taxes imposed on
  such  parcel  for such year shall be based on such lesser actual assess-
  ment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, during the period of any such tran-
  sition, the assessment roll shall contain an entry of the full amount of
  such greater assessment which shall be used by the commissioner  in  its
  determination  of  class ratios pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision
  one of section twelve hundred two of this chapter. In establishing state
  equalization rates, class equalization rates, special state equalization
  rates and special state equalization ratios under article twelve,  arti-
  cle  twelve-A  and  article  twelve-B  of this chapter, the commissioner
  shall use the transition assessments as provided for in this subdivision
  in its determinations, or where the actual  assessment  is  the  lesser,
  such actual assessment shall be so used.
    S 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall be applicable to
  assessment  rolls  with  a  taxable status date following such effective
  date.