Ulster County 2015 Tax Lien Foreclosure Report

We are once again at that time of year when the County is faced with the unenviable task of auctioning off properties to meet tax obligations. It is not only time to help those folks who have already fallen behind but to begin to advocate for changing state law to increase opportunities for property owners to remain, reduce their tax obligations, and most importantly, avoid foreclosure.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES...Huge Layoff Spikes Unemployment Costs

5 YEAR TREND-Salaries Down, Benefits Up, Unemployment Insurance Quadruples

3rd Quarter Report 5 YEAR EXPENSE TRENDS

$5.5 m September Spending With Some Unique Expenses!

Spending Tracker.press Release.september 2014

10.16.2014September 2014 County Spending Tracker

TO IDA OR NOT TO IDA?

To IDA Or Not To IDA? Here Are The Questions!

10.7.2014 IDA REPORT

SUNY New Paltz AMA Handouts 10.08.2014

LITERARY LESSONS

Lessons for Life.2014

Getting NEVELE READY!

Nevele Resort Support Letter

$11M SPENDING TRACKER

Spending Tracker2.July 2014.Press Release

8.19.2014 July 2014 County Spending Tracker

Editorial: Nothing more exciting than a juicy public audit | recordonline.com

Editorial: Nothing more exciting than a juicy public audit | recordonline.com

THE $24 MILLION DOLLAR HEALTH INSURANCE BILL

07.22.2014health Benefit Press Release

7.22.2104.Health Benefit Dependent Eligibility Audit

RECOGNIZING SUCCESS-TAKING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Recognizing Success the Class of 2014

COUNTY FORECLOSURE SALE....APRIL 23, 2014

2014 Foreclosures Continue Upward Trend

By the Numbers 2014 Foreclosure Report 04.04

ULSTER COUNTY PUBLIC AUCTION 04.23.2014

NOTICE OF 1 DAY SALE AT PUBLIC AUCTION OF COUNTY LANDS to be held at SUNY ULSTER, Quimby Theatre in Vanderlyn Hall on April 23, 2014 at 9:00AM

2014 Public Auction Brochure 1

Keep The State's Hand Off The Fuse...

02.21.14 Avoiding the Tax Tinderbox

Ulster County Businesses Impacted By $ales Tax $eesaw! Back Up To 8%

Ulster County Businesses Impacted By Sales Tax Seesaw!

ULSTER CO. $ALE$ TAX TO RETURN TO 8%

PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX RELIEF-A Quick Overview

OVER 2000 TAX EXEMPT PROPERTIES=$62m IN "FORGIVEN" TAXES

Wholly Exempt Property Report 12.31.2013

TOWN BY TOWN EXEMPTION STATS

Practitioners of good government could have restarted the process to avoid any appearance of impropriety.!

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131207/NEWS/312070329/-1/NEWS Audit candidate spurs complaints Ulster lawmakers get a warning By James Nani Times Herald-Record Published: 2:00 AM - 12/07/13 KINGSTON — Ulster County legislators are set to hire a new independent auditing firm for the county, despite warnings from the Ulster County comptroller that its relationship with the Legislature may lead to appearances of impropriety. The choice this year has been narrowed down to two firms: O'Connor Davies LLC or Toski and Co. The decision will go to the full Legislature Tuesday. Toski and Co. is the county's current independent auditor and the firm is in the running to continue down that path. The contract as the county's main auditor is worth $63,500 a year. O'Connor Davies, the other choice and favored by the Republicans' slim majority, came out two weeks ago with an audit of Ulster County Executive Mike Hein's tentative 2014 budget. The Ulster County Legislature hired O'Connor Davies in September at $65,000 for this year's audit and approved it, 19-2. Aside from a few minor cash shuffles and warnings, the firm painted a fairly rosy picture of Hein's budget in its analysis. Therein lies the problem, says the county's comptroller, Elliot Auerbach, a Democrat. He's put out several warnings to the Legislature that the process to pick the auditor had been flawed. Auerbach says O'Connor Davies should have dropped out of the running for official auditor once it accepted the job to do the budget analysis to avoid a conflict of interest. He also says awarding a three-year contract is too long and would go past the term of the current Legislature. "The appearance of impropriety is there," Auerbach says. Auerbach says the Legislature should go back to the drawing board to pick from a bigger pool of bidders. Republican Ken Ronk, the Legislature's majority leader, disagrees with Auerbach's analysis. A supporter of O'Connor Davies, he says different teams from the same firm would conduct the two different audits and a three-year contract would be cheaper than a one-year agreement. Ronk says O'Connor Davies already audits Westchester, Orange and Rockland counties. He's also concerned that if the process were started over, it could delay the auditing process that usually begins in December. Ulster County Executive Mike Hein has sided with Auerbach. Hein says although no one is saying there's been wrongdoing, the comptroller is right that the current policy needs improvement. "An inherent conflict arises when any CPA firm is exposed to the potential for political pressure to shape their final budget analysis in return for being awarded a much larger and more lucrative annual audit contract," Hein said last month. jnani@th-record.com

Ulster County Sales Tax Decrease December 1st

ST-13-5 (11/13) Ulster County Decreases Sales and Use Tax Rate Effective December 1, 2013 Beginning December 1, 2013, Ulster County’s local sales and use tax rate decreases from 4% to 3%. Therefore, the combined state and local tax rate imposed in Ulster County decreases from 8% to 7%. This new tax rate applies to all taxable sales, services, deliveries, and uses in Ulster County. Questions??????? Visit THE Web site at www.tax.ny.gov • get information and manage your taxes online • check for new online services and features

Setting The Stage For Creative Solutions

Ulster County comptroller: Re-elected Auerbach to seek 'creative' solutions Working with legislators and the county executive on tax relief, electronic payments and scrutinizing health care and property-tax exemptions are all on the agenda of Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach as he looks forward to four more years in office. Auerbach, 61, defeated challenger Linda A. McDonough, according to unofficial results. The post is a four-year term and pays $102,000. Auerbach ran on the Democratic and Working Families lines. McDonough, 56, ran on the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines. “I think I have built a trust with the residents of Ulster County,” Auerbach said. “I think they appreciated the fact that we are out there on a daily basis looking out for their interests.” One area on which Auerbach plans to focus is allowing the county to pay vendors and employees electronically. The move would save time and money, he said. Also on Auerbach’s agenda is exploring new ways of raising revenue, which he said would reduce the need for property taxes. Home foreclosures in Ulster spurred this initiative, he added, which he plans to address with the county executive and Legislature. “We need a creative way to fund local government,” he said. As far as auditing, a pivotal role of the Comptroller’s Office, Auerbach said he will be targeting recipients of health care benefits and tax-exempt properties. “Our thrust going forward is to ensure the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of Ulster County government,” Auerbach said. John W. Barry: jobarry@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4822; Twitter: @JohnBarryPoJo.

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My office has built a reputation on what we have accomplished with our continual commitment to be the "watchdog" for the 184,000 residents of Ulster County.