CANISTEO - Some neighbors in one Southern Tier community are livid after learning their property taxes could increase by almost half.
Like most of us, Vicki Preston works hard for her money. So when she heard her taxes in the village of Canisteo may go up by almost half, she was furious.
“I really can not believe they want to hike it so high being that it's a desperate time. It's terrible,” says Preston.
“I really wish they weren't doing it because things are high, everything is going up, gas prices,” says Cynthia Teribury from Canisteo.
Canisteo Village Mayor Jim McGee says under the preliminary budget by the Town of Canisteo, property taxes for the village are expected to increase by 40 percent.
Whereas town neighbors will only see a seven percent hike.
To put it into perspective, McGee says if you own a home in the village worth $50,000, your property taxes would increase by about a hundred dollars.
If you live in the town, they would increase about $40.
Neighbors say that is unfair.
“I don't see why we have pay so much more because nothing's really changed around here roads---the end of the driveway they haven't finished that yet,” says Teribury.
“They don't want to cut down trees that desperately need. They don't want to fix the sidewalks that need. I don't see why they need the money,” says Preston.
McGee says the town has some taxing authority over the village. But he says the current proposed tax hike is one of the highest he's seen and it's unacceptable.
“Our only source of information right now is information sourced by the town and I'm not convinced it's complete. We haven't been able to wade through things and do a proper analysis on this and what the costs are,” says Mayor McGee.
Officials at the town hall couldn't be reached to explain why the taxes are going up so drastically for the village.
