BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Deputy Mayor John Rishe is asking banking institutions to adjust their escrow accounts for local property owners to reflect the recent 10 percent tax cut.

“It is my understanding that a majority of city residents use the convenience of escrow accounts to pay their taxes, and water and sewer bills. Adjusting these accounts to reflect the tax reduction would go a long way toward ensuring that this savings in Real Property Taxes is realized sooner rather than later,” Rishe said in a letter issued to local banks and credit unions.

“It is especially important in these difficult times that the savings realized through the tax cut is not kept by the banks and adjusted later. It is better that these monies not be collected and adjusted a year from now. The sooner this savings is realized to our taxpayers, the better.”

“I know there has been pain along the way, but it is high time that our tax rate was adjusted so it is affordable to our residents.” Rishe said.

Despite a mixed bag of criticism and support from the public, Ogdensburg City Council passed a budget in December 2020 that reduced the tax rate by about $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The budget cuts the tax levy by $213,000 and reduces the tax rate to $17.87 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The budget eliminated the city comptroller position, the city recreation director, cut several firefighter positions, reduced funding for the public library and provided additional staff for the planning department.