What's happening
This bill excludes the value of state forest preserve lands in the Adirondack and Catskill parks from school aid property valuation calculations.
Why it matters
This bill changes how school aid is calculated for districts that include state-owned forest preserve lands in the Adirondack and Catskill parks, by excluding the value of those lands from the property valuation formula. This could lead to higher state aid for districts with significant forest preserve acreage, since their “actual valuation” would decrease.
Districts with large amounts of state forest land often have lower tax bases because those lands can’t be taxed or developed. By removing these lands from the valuation used to determine school aid, the bill aims to make funding fairer for local schools that can’t raise as much revenue locally.
The legislation could shift more state education funding to rural and small-town districts within these park regions, potentially reducing disparities between them and wealthier, more developed districts elsewhere in New York.
Local taxpayers in affected districts may benefit, as the change could reduce pressure to increase local taxes for school funding, since state aid would more accurately reflect the actual taxable resources available.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Exclude Forest Land from Aid
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Exclude Forest Land from Aid
In Senate Committee · Education · Sponsor Betty Little
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3689
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER, CAHILL, STEC, CROUCH -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, RIVERA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to excluding the valuation of state forest preserve lands, within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, from the definition of "actual valuation" for purposes of apportionment of state moneys to school districts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph c of subdivision 1 of section 3602 of the education law, as amended by section 11 of part B of chapter 57 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
c. "Actual valuation" shall mean the valuation of taxable real property in a school district obtained by taking the assessed valuation of taxable real property within such district as it appears upon the assessment roll of the town, city, village, or county in which such property is located, for the calendar year two years prior to the calendar year in which the base year commenced, after revision as provided by law, and dividing it by the state equalization rate as determined by the state board of [equalization and assessment] real property tax services, for the assessment roll of such town, city, village, or county completed during such preceding calendar year; provided, however, that the actual valuation of a school district shall not include the valuation of any real property within a state forest preserve that is either in the Adirondack park or the Catskill park. The actual valuation of a central high school district shall be the sum of such valuations of its component districts. Such actual valuation shall include any actual valuation equivalent of payments in lieu of taxes determined pursuant to section four hundred eighty-five of the real property tax law. "Selected actual valuation" shall mean the lesser of actual valuation calculated for aid payable in the current year or the two-year average of the actual valu-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00414-01-9
A. 3689 2
ation calculated for aid payable in the current year and the actual valuation calculated for aid payable in the base year.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.