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Letter to the Editor:
As I have been campaigning in this Village, residents have asked me about my position on whether the Village should accept the proposed gift of property on Albany Post Road. This property known by some as the Gouveia property would be donated to the Village for nonprofit use while the current owner is allowed to live on the premises for the remainder of her life without having to pay property taxes. While the Village might benefit from accepting the Gouveia property gift, I do not think it is in the best interests of the Village financially to accept this property at this time.
If I were a Village Trustee, in order to change my mind on this issue, I would need to be convinced that the benefits outweigh the costs. Here are the three questions that the Village Board needs to address with the Gouveia property:
1) What is the plan for the Gouveia Property? There has been little public discussion over any concrete ideas for this property.
2) Is it worth the hit in lost tax revenue? According to the Villages documents on the Gouveia property, the current owner of the property pays $48,800 annually in property taxes. If I am a Village Trustee, when I am making decisions that affect the property tax base I will think about the lost revenue to the village as well as the lost revenue to the other entities, such as the school district, that currently receive taxes from the Gouveia property.
3) How much will it cost taxpayers to maintain the property? If the Village were to accept the gift, we would need to know how much it will cost taxpayers to maintain the Gouveia Property. In addition, we need to know what is going to be done about the various structures on the property that are out of compliance with the zoning code and who is going to pay to rectify the situation.
If the Village Board votes on whether or not they should accept the Gouveia Property, the benefits need to outweigh the costs. At this point in time I do not believe the benefits outweigh the costs and if I am elected to the Village Board, I will oppose any deal that does not have a net benefit for the village.
Kevin W. Davis
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