This story has been making the rounds for a few weeks now. What I would like to know before jumping to conclusions, is what kink of house Audrey owns. Is it a 2 bedroom 1,800 square foot rambler sitting on a 1/4 acre lot, or an 6 bedroom 5,000 square foot Victorian mansion sitting on a 6 acre parcel? Does she have a nest egg worth millions to take care of her and her house till she dies, or is she house rich, cash poor and on verge of being put out on the street? There is not enough information here for me to get all upset.
does it matter if she has it and its paid for?
Let’s ask this question- since when are free landowners obligated to pay tribute in order to possess something that they own free and clear? Yeah yeah, that’s the law bla bla bla. But think about it- how far have we strayed since 1776?
I agree $12,000 a year is pretty stiff...my bet it is one of those classic NY frame house with lots of millwork and detail.
why should it matter what kind of house she has, or what assets she might have? Is there some threshold above which she is ‘deserving’ and below which she is ‘undeserving’? If so, what is it?
the point it that she obviously cannot afford to pay her property taxes and therefore has been designated - by the government - as a serf directed to toil for the government at whatever said government deems appropriate for her - whether she likes it or not - or face the loss of her long-time residence.
if this isn’t outrageous, then what is?
Once this woman went on a fixed income, she should have sold her property and moved to more moderate accomodations. I don’t expect granny to try to maintain her same standard of accommodations depending on a gubmit check.
Her house appears to be a modest rancher surrounded by newly built McMansions. Of course, her assessment and taxes get dragged up by the big yuppie houses surrounding her.
Why does it matter what she has or has not? Does she have a greater or lesser stake in the government than her townsmen?
ML/NJ
In NY, especially the “nicer” areas, $12K isn’t much of a house. When I was in the Binghamton area, we paid about $6K in property taxes on a 1450 sqft house situated on a 150x50 lot.
Greenburgh, IIRC, is downstate - nearer the city, in the money ‘burbs.
Just my $.02.
Hard to say for sure. But put it this way... In NY, there are all sorts of governmental entities and most have a tax bill associated with them... For instance, with Greenburgh, you start with Westchester County, then the village of Greenburgh, then the actual town you live in, such as Scarsdale or Ardsley. So she may be living in a really nice place, but then again, the housing "values" in that area are really astronomical.
Mark