Assessment Cut Ups School District 22 Taxes
A small startled audience heard the District 22 Board of
Education trustees announce on Monday evening that the 1967-
68 tax rate would be 18 cents higher than was estimated in
June because of a $ 1,152,000 reduction in the assessed valuation
of the Republic Division of Fairchild Hiller and the
Farmingdale Co. which owns some of the buildings on the Republic
site.
Paradoxically, the tax rate for the Babylon Town portion
of the school district where the assessment was lowered,
will be 12 cents less than estimated in June due to a change
in the proportionate relationship of the assessed valuation
of the two sections in the district.
The 1967- 68 tax rate for school, library and youth council
will be $ 8# 350 for the Oyster Bay portion of the district and
$ 13,185 in the Babylon sector. The new tax rate is $ 1,096
higher than last year in Oyster Bay and $ 1,329 in the Babylon
area.
Trustee A. Terry Weathers said the assessed reduction
is the worst local blow in the district in years. However, since the
school tax rates are paid in two installments, there could
be a small reduction in the tax rate when the supplemental tax
rolls are made available and become effective, according to
Weathers.
Weathers decried the drop In
the assessed valuation and the
lack of communication between
the Town of Babylon officials
and the school district, when
the decrease was negotiated. He
asked school attorney Kendrick
Smith to get all the information
regarding the lowering of the
assessment and any information
available regarding the future
use of the airport at Republic
and any effect the future use of
the airfield might have on the.
tax rate. Considerable speculation
also entered the picture
on what affect would be felt when
and if the State would take over
the airport site.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan
Commuter Transportation
Authority told The Observer that
many factors were involved before
the state could acquire both
the Republic and Zahns airports.
As the law now stands, MCTA
acquisition of the airport would
make it nontaxable unless some
arrangements could be made in
a lease to reimburse the school
district, the spokesman said.
The acquisition of such a facility
by the state would first entail
a close examination to determine
whether the economy
of the area would be improved
if a tax exemption took place.
There is no question that Farm-ingdale
would take on a regional
significance because of the general
aviation picture needs in the
area, it was pointed out. The
MCTA spokesman said there is
a great need for an attractive
well- run general airport away
from the much larger jetports.
The spokesman cited several instances
of private planes in serious
accidents in immediate jet-port
areas as another reason for a
general aviation airport need.
A Town of Babylon official
told The Observer that tax r e lief
for the aircraft site was
begun in 1965 when the then Republic
Aviation Co. filed a protest
on Grievance Bay. The matter
was then taken to the State
Supreme Court. After several
postponed trials Fairchild Hiller
Corporation and the Farming-dale
Company purchased the Republic
facilities. Attorneys for
the Town and the two corporations
then began negotiations.
A compromise was effected, but
the much larger reduction in a s sessment,
which was sought was
not granted, according to the
official.
" We don't know why school
district 22 officials are so upset
about what has happened,
a Town official said. The school
board has had a representative
at Grievance Day each year.
If the matter had gone to trial
in the courts, the bottom could
have fallen out and we could
have come out with much l e s s ",
was the way the Babylon Town
official put it.
School Board Trustee A. Terry
Weathers said that the tax rate
could have been down to $ 7,645
in Oyster Bay and $ 12,473 in
Babylon were it not for the
lowered assessments granted.
Trustee Thomas Lavan was
so incensed by the lack of communication
with the school district
in this matter that he announced
at Monday night's meeting
that he might initiate a tax
suit. The 18 cent tax increase
in Oyster Bay wiped out most
of the 29 cent tax rate cut which
the Board made after the first
budget defeat in May. The r e duced
budget was passed in June
on the second try.
Board Vice President Bernard
Lang criticized Babylon Town
officials for " blithly setting tax
rates without telling people. I
think there is evidence that they
tried to conceal what was going
on.'
The Babylon Town Assessors
office said that the Fairchild
Hiller assessment was lowered
from $ 3,048,880 to $ 2,491, 150
and the Farmingdale Company
which now owns some of the
buildings at Republic had their
assessment lowered from $ 1,-
337,175 to $ 750,220.
At the time of the Board meeting,
news of Pan American subleasing
Republic Aviation Airport
had not been released. ( See
separate story).
Another factor causing the
change in relationship in assessed
valuation between the
two portions of the school district
and the resulting changes
in tax rates from June estimates
is the fact that the State Equalization
Rate in the Town of Oyster
Bay declined from .31 to
.30 while the rate of .19 for the
Town of Babylon held constant.
This caused the full assessed valuation
of the Oyster Bay portion
to increase in relation to that of
the Babylon portion thus resulting
in approportionate rise in
the Oyster Bay portion's share of
the total tax levy.
Since 1961- 62 the Farmingdale
School District has demonstrated
one of the best records in Nassau
County in controlling the
school tax increase. During the
five year period, 1961- 62 to 1966-
67, the Farmingdale school tax
increase was 71 cents while the
average increase of 53 districts
in Nassau County was $ 1.30.
From 1964- 65 to 1966- 67 our
school tax rate decreased 9 cents.
This was the best record of any
Nassau school district. A comparison
of the 1964- 65 and 1967-
68 Farmingdale tax rates shows
an increase of 97 cents over
the three year period. Preliminary
indications are that this
tax rise is less than the tax
rise over a similar period in
two- thirds of the districts in
Nassau County.
Grover Announces
Annual Citizenship Award
Congressman James R. Grover
J r . announced that he was instituting
an annual Citizenship
Award to be made to one graduate
in each of the high schools in
the Second Congressional District.
Grover said that the winner
would be selected by the school
administration, faculty and members
of the student body. " Ideall
y , " the Congressman said, " the
winner should have taken an active
part in student government
and have helped to advance programs
which have benefited his or
her fellow students."
Grover said that the award
would consist of a medal with an
appropriate inscription. " This
award is my small contribution,"
he said, ** toward countering the
growing tide of disrespect for
government and authority among
our young people. All of our students
are being subjected to waves
of publicity urging them to withdraw
from the life of their community.
The hews media, much of
our literature, events in our daily
lives— all of these tend to alienate
our young people from their
society. I think it's high time that
we recognized qualities of leadership
and good citizenship on the
part of our young people."
The Congressman said that the
first awards would be made at
June, 1968, graduation ceremonies.
He said, " To my mind, nothing'
that we can do is more important
than to emphasize to our
young people that what they do
is important and that our nation's
future is in their hands."
P a n A m To O p e r a t e R e p u b l i c A i r p o r t Announce Cultural Arts Program
For Private and Business Aircraft Registration Date
Pan American World Airways
has subleased Republic Aviation
Airport at Farmingdale, and will
operate the facility for general
aviation aircraft, Juan T. Trippe,
Chairman and Chief Executive of
Pan Am, announced this week.
Trippe said the airport, located
on central Long Island 30
miles east of New York City,
would provide an excellent location
for private and business aircraft
which normally use heavily
congested LaGuardia and John F.
Kennedy International Airport.
A key feature of Republic Aviation
Airport, Trippe said, is that
private aircraft can take off and
land without conflicting with the
busy air traffic patterns used by
large commercial jet transports
serving LaGuardia and Kennedy
airports. He said Republic has
the capacity of providing covered
or outside parking space for up to
300 private or business aircraft
and has substantial maintenance.
and fueling facilities for small
planes.
Republic Aviation Airport will
be operated by Pan Am's Metropolitan
Airports Division. The
Division is currently negotiating
with the Port of New York Authority
to serve as operator for
Teterboro Airport inNew Jersey.
Trippe emphasized that Republic
would not be used for Pan
Am's commercial operations.
Pan Am's sublease agreement
is with Fairchild HillerCorpora-tion,
a major aircraft manufacturing
firm. Fairchild Hiller has
leased the airport from the Fanu-ingdale
Company, an investment
firm, since September, 1965.
Fairchild Hiller, which maintains
a plant adjacent to the field, will
retain its right to use the ai rport's
runways.
Term of the sublease agree -
ment is five years with five separate
five- year options to renew.
Mr. Trippe said that the sublease
is subject to approval by the Civil
Aeronautics Board.
The history of Republic Aviation
Airport dates to before World
War II when it was owned by the
Republic Avaition Corporation, a
prime manufacturer of U. S. military
aircraft such as the P- 47
Thunderbolt fighter used in the
European and Pacific Theaters.
Republic Aviation was acquired
by Fairchild Hiller in 1965.
The airport is presently used
to park and hangar some 135
general aviation aircraft. Flight
Safety Incorporated currently
provides maintenance and fueling
support for private aircraft
as well as operating a general
aviation training center.
The airport has two crisscrossing
asphalt runways of 7,500
and 6,597 feet, both adequate to
accommodate turbine- powered
business aircraft. The control
tower on the field is privately
operated seven days a week.
The area subleased by Pan Am
is about 305 acres.
The Metropolitan Commuter
Transportation Authority formally
acknowledged onTuesday that
it plans to make Republic the hub
of a major Long Island transportation
center. The Authority, using
funds from the proposed $ 2.5
billion transportation bond issue,
would build a huge commuter
parking lot at Republic, provide
feeder bus service and make He-public
a major exp less stop on the
Long Island Railroad. The Authority
is taking steps to acquii- e
Republic property for this purpose,
it was learned. ( See school
board tax rate story to see affect
of this move on school tax).
Babylon Supervisor GilbertC.
llanse said that the town still
opposes an airport. He would like
to see a mass transit center at
Republic.
A Pan American spokesman
said that helicopter service at,
Republic was definitely planned
as well as a new passenger terminal
and an improved control tower.
Pan Am said it would begin
making improvements at Republic
as soon as the Civil Aeronautics
Board granted approval.
The Cultural Arts Program
of the Farmingdale Youth Council
will hold late registration on
Saturday, September 30th between
10: 00 a. m. nd 12.00 noon
at the Parkway Oaks school.
There are openings in Teen
Age Dance Art, Sculpture, Drama,
Puppetry, Fun With Music, Exploring
Instruments, Science,
String Orchestra, Voice Training
and Music Reading, Pre-
Kindergarten, the new Cultural
Arts Sampler and Holiday Art
Tours.
A limited number of Scholarships
are available to interested
youngsters, based on financial
need.
Further information about C ul-tural
Arts, may be obtained by
calling Mrs. Joan Bergman at
541- 4256 or Mrs. Barbara Sepe
at 694- 5143.
Farmingdale OBSERVE ^ Thursday, • September' 2% ' W
Pictured is the Fairchild Hiller Republic and Farmingdale Company
facilities whose assessment was lowered by $ 1,152,000 resulting in a School
District 22 tax increase this week.
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