As you know, Nassau BOCES has been working with Nassau County and with the Village of Garden City to determine the impact on property taxes if Nassau BOCES purchases our Administrative Center, located at 71 Clinton Road in Garden City. Since you have been reporting on our proposed referendum to buy this building, I wanted to let you know what we have found out.

Estimated school tax generated by the Administrative Center for 2002-03 is $212,000 (Source: Nassau County assessor's office). Estimated village tax generated by our facility this year is $122,650 (Source: Village of Garden City).

If Nassau BOCES buys the building, property taxes would be paid for the first 18 months to provide for a phase-out period. After that, the facility would not be generating property tax revenue. Here's what we project the impact of that change would be, based on 2002-03 tax rates (school plus village tax):

For a homeowner with a house assessed at $5,000 $15.25 per year

For a condo owner with a condo assessed at $5,000 $15.10 per year

For a homeowner with a house assessed at $10,000 $30.50 per year

For a condo owner with a condo assessed at $10,000 $30.20 per year

(Source: Nassau County assessor's office and Village of Garden City)

There have also been some misunderstandings about what we're occupying and what we may potentially buy. Some Garden City residents we've talked to have been under the impression that Nassau BOCES wants to buy the whole 71 Clinton Road property, including space currently occupied by FedEx, the Epilepsy Foundation and other tenants. This is not the case. We are only renting the E-shaped building that faces Clinton Road.

Currently, there are two other tenants in this building, occupying a total of about 10,000 square feet. Nassau BOCES is occupying the other 63,000 square feet. The property tax estimates given above are for the entire 73,000 square foot building. The reason: as soon as the other two tenants move out we are obligated to either rent or buy the additional space. So the fairest estimate is the one that takes this possibility into account.

Another misconception has been that we are - or would be in the future - getting rent from the lawyer's office with whom we share the 71 Clinton Road building. This is not the case. They are renting from the same landlord we are and we will not buy the additional space until they vacate it.

Barbara Behrens

Information Officer, Nassau BOCES