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Updated 08/14/2012 09:40 PM

Politicians react to Huron settlement

The recent tax reassessment of the Huron Campus in Endicott has led to heated debate between local politicians. As our Elyse Mickalonis tells us, Huron will pay a lot less in taxes next year and the mayor of Endicott is not happy about that. He says he was left out of the decision making process, but Town of Union board members say that’s not the case.

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ENDICOTT, N.Y. -- Not everyone is happy about the reassessment of Huron’s campus in Endicott. Next year, the company will pay 27.5 percent of what was paid in 2011, about $700,000 in taxes. This will affect the village, town, county and school district.

"This report tells me that a building that was assessed at $4 million is now only being assessed at $110,000. These numbers don't make any sense. I don't buy this report.You could tuck your tail, run and say okay, we'll give it to you. They threw the Village of Endicott, as the saying goes, ‘under the bus,’” said Endicott Mayor John Bertoni.

Rose Sotak, Town of Union Deputy Supervisor, added, "It is important for the residents to know the town attorney and assessor have worked months to address the assessment."

Huron Real Estate Associates has been paying $2.4 million in taxes for its properties on the Huron Campus. That's why the company filed a petition to get the value of those properties reassessed. Paul Sheppard, an attorney representing Huron, told YNN last month that the company has been overpaying its taxes for a decade and if they want to keep jobs in the area they have to make sure that the cost of doing business is on par with competitors and "one of those things is real estate taxes." But Endicott Mayor John Bertoni says he’s upset with the Town of Union board for making a decision behind his back.

"It is a backroom deal that has no rhyme or reason, other than they came in with a report and said, 'here, this is what our building is worth,'" said Bertoni.

The Town of Union’s Deputy Supervisor Rose Sotak says they reached out to Bertoni during the process.

"I don't know which is worse, that you were not there for your residents or that you cannot remember the months details of requests from the town of Union and judge you to attend the negotiations and the fact-finding updates,” said Sotak.

The town says because of this settlement, a homeowner of a house in Endicott valued at $75,000 will pay about $125 to $150 more in school taxes, $225 to $250 more in village taxes, $20 to $25 more in county taxes and $5 dollars more in town taxes. The village budget is due almost 10 months from now and Bertoni says he’ll do everything he can to keep taxes from going up.