Petrone, Cuthbertson Renew Call for Public to Join Stop LIPA Tax Effort

Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone and Councilman Mark Cuthbertson today renewed their call for Town residents to join the fight against the Long Island Power Authority's move to raise their property taxes, as talks in Albany that could resolve the issue reached a critical stage.

"Our local state senators, John Flanagan and Carl Marcellino, are working to resolve the issue as part of the Governor's move to restructure LIPA," Supervisor Petrone said. "Residents' participation in the Town's Stop the LIPA Tax Increase effort will show the Governor how deeply residents feel about the issue and encourage the Senators to keep up the fight."

"Residents need to help us send the message that Huntingtonians' support for resolving the LIPA tax question now, through legislative action, is widespread," Councilman Cuthbertson said. "Those of us in Town government know how you feel, and Albany needs to know that, too -- now, as the legislative session comes to a close."

The Town is seeking the action in response to LIPA's effort to reduce the assessment on the Northport Power Plant, an effort that, if successful, would raise Town property taxes by 15 percent for all residents. Those who live in the Northport-East Northport school district face a whopping 60 percent property tax hike, an increase of $3,400 for the average homeowner.

The Town and the Northport-East Northport School District are fighting the assessment challenge and recently won a key court decision allowing their suit to continue. The Town and School district contend the assessment challenge is improper because when it was formed, LIPA promised it would not challenge the Northport Power Plant’s assessment if the Town did not raise it. The judge who just ruled in the court case said it is “undisputed” that the assessment has not been raised.

The court case could continue for a number of years, especially if LIPA appeals preliminary rulings such as the one recently issued allowing the case to go ahead. However, the Town has asked Governor Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature to include language ending the assessment challenge in the legislation restructuring LIPA. This would be similar to the language pertaining to taxes for the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant that was included in the legislation creating LIPA.

Last week, Supervisor Petrone and Councilman Cuthbertson announced a three-pronged effort for residents to express their feelings by calling the Governor's hotline, sending emails to the Governor and the state legislators and signing an online petition on the Town's website that as of this morning had more than 7,200 names on it.

Joining the Town in asking residents and their member businesses to act were the Northport-East Northport School District, the Northport-East Northport Public Library, the Villages of Northport and Asharoken and the Northport, East Northport, Huntington and Melville Chambers of Commerce

To join the effort, residents can:

          o Call the Governor’s Hotline at 855-693-8690. Tell Governor Cuomo that the Town of Huntington has kept its commitment to freeze the assessment on the Northport Power Station and now LIPA must also live up to its pledge not to file assessment challenges if there is no change in assessment. Tell him this issue must be resolved in any legislation to restructure LIPA.

          o Sign the online petition on the Town’s website. Go out to the website – huntingtonny.gov -- and look for the Stop LIPA Tax Hike button at the bottom of the page. Click on that and look for the widget on the right side of the Stop LIPA Tax Hike page. Or they can go directly to http://www.huntingtonny.gov/content/13753/23144/default.aspx

          o Email the Governor and the State Legislative Delegation. The Stop LIPA TAX Hike page on the Town’s website includes the text of a suggested letter that residents can paste into their email as well as the email addresses for the Governor and our local legislators.

Supervisor Petrone and Councilman Cuthbertson have also noted that there is a long-term solution to the question on which the Town is willing to work with LIPA: the repowering of the Northport plant, to increase its productivity and eliminate its assessed value as an issue.

“The Town would be willing to hold the assessment on the plant, even as the improvements made it more valuable,” Supervisor Petrone said. “That is a solution that would benefit Huntington taxpayers and all Long Islanders.”