BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

LISBON – A Lisbon man is suing the Lisbon Town Council, town supervisor, town clerk, St. Lawrence County Legislature and the legislature chairman over a tax dispute.

Russell Finley filed an Article 78 lawsuit with the State Supreme Court over tax fees he says were wrongly applied to his tax bill.

Finley, who makes his tax payments installments, said he was unable to pay his second installment in-person at the Lisbon Town Hall due to the offices being shutdown due to COVID-19.

“Petitioner Russell Finley when it came time to make the second installment of his 2020 Property Taxes had been made aware that due to the COVID-19 Pandemic many Government Agencies had either gone to limited hours, or in fact had closed,” the document filed by Finely says.

“Russell Finley went to the Respondent Town of Lisbon website to get both information and/or the phone number for more information as to how to make said payments.

Finley says the website included a message stating “Town of Lisbon Officers are Closed until further notice,.”

He said that he was led to believe that “due to these extreme worldwide circumstances all would be put on hold until,” the town safely reopened.

Finely said over the next several months he checked the website to see if and when the clerk would be open to receive tax payments.

Finley said he was ready, willing and able to make his payment, but wanted to do so in person to ensure a receipt as he has had issues with the town in the past.

Finley said that in June he received a notice from the county demanding payment for unpaid property taxes that included $1,000 in fees, penalties and interest.

Finley says two county legislators via text message told him that the county was working on the issue as many county residents were in the same situation.

He said despite reassurances from the county officials he was told that was refusing to remove the interest and penalties from the bill.

Finley approached the Lisbon Town Board and St. Lawrence County Legislator regarding the issue in October. Finely said that the county had wrongly paid the town of Lisbon for the late fees and interest and was told by the chair to take the issue up with the town.

On Oct. 13 Finley said he raised the issue at a town board meeting. He said that Supervisor William Nelson told him that he was the only one who had a problem. He also said that Town Clerk Alberta Hyde told him the office was open but that he had to slip the taxes though the drop box.

Finley questioned why the website stated that the offices were closed if they were not, but claims he was met with rude comments from Councilman Nathaniel Putney.

Finley claims that both the county and town denied his right to a hearing. He also says that he was not the only one impacted by the town’s message that the offices were closed.

He says 196 separate entities failed to pay the 2020 tax bill on 284 parcels and that as of Dec. 2 99 separate entities still owed 2020 taxes on 128 parcels.

“Thus meaning 97 taxpayers with 156 parcels were forced to pay penalties and interest due to the incompetent manner in which Respondent Town of Lisbon had handled themselves during a time when the public was both confused and enduring great economic distress,” the document filed by Finley says.

St. Lawrence County Attorney Stephen Button said the county has not yet been served anything new by Finley, and any comment would be premature.

Lisbon Supervisor William Nelson could not be immediately reached for comment.