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Dear Residents -
For a third year, the Town of Orangetown is seeking special NYS legislation to authorize the creation of a Community Preservation Fund (CPF). If approved, it would allow the town to collect a transfer tax, from the buyer, at the purchase of real property in the town. The funds collected will be deposited into a dedicated account earmarked for the acquisition of land and other interests in property for conservation purposes.
To obtain the legislation, the Senate and Assembly must pass a bill. Thanks to Senator Weber and Assemblyman Wieder, this has been done. The next step is for the Governor to sign it. Unfortunately, this is where we had a problem in 2023. At that time, the Governor vetoed the bill, alleging that there were “well-documented tensions in the region between local officials and members of the Hasidic community.” This is simply not true. There are no “tensions” – documented or otherwise – between the local officials and members of the Hasidic community. To the contrary, Assemblyman Wieder, himself a member of the Hasidic community, carried the bill.
I believe the real reason Governor Hochul vetoed the bill was due to the lobbying efforts of the NYS Association of Realtors, who are again “strongly opposing” the bill because it will make “home-buying less affordable.” To read the entire letter, click HERE. I find it ironic that an industry that recently entered a $418 million settlement due to an antitrust lawsuit where a federal jury found the National Association of Realtors (NAR) had conspired to artificially inflate agent commissions on the sale and purchase of real estate is suddenly concerned about the costs - I guess it is only a problem when the fees are not going to them.
There are a few important things to note when considering this legislation:
1. If the legislation passes, a vote of the local electorate is still required - so, the people of Orangetown will make the ultimate decision;
2. A number of NYS municipalities already have CPFs, including Warwick, New Paltz, Red Hook, Chatham, Gardiner and others;
3. Orangetown has received letters of support from Scenic Hudson, the Sparkill Creek Watershed Alliance, County Executive Ed Day, all of the Orangetown County legislators except Beth Davidson, all of the mayors of the villages in Orangetown, the Orangetown Environmental Committee and others;
4. Governor Hochul herself has signed legislation that sets the goal to support and contribute to national efforts to conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. land and water by 2030 – noting that this legislation will promote biodiversity and preserve New York's wildlife, forests, and clean water sources, which are all essential to New York's health and economy.
While I did not intend to take up the entire introduction on this topic, I
believe that Orangetown residents recognize the importance of open space and support the Town Board’s efforts in creating a CPF. The funds raised from the CPF will be vital to ensuring the Town is in a financial position to preserve the things that make Orangetown special - whether it is the preservation of woods, historical buildings, open spaces or other ecologically important environments.
With all of this said, if you support this bill, as I do, please contact the Governor at (518) 474-8390 or fill out this page and let her know that you are an Orangetown resident and that you want her to sign this legislation: A.6097 and S.6338.
Have a great weekend.
Regards,
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