Hague requests multi-year assessment averaging for Ti school district

TICONDEROGA | At the Ticonderoga Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, March 19, Hague Town Supervisor Joshua Patchett made a plea of, in his words, a small gesture of fundamental fairness. Representing the Town of Hague in his request, Patchett asked the board for the implementation of five-year multi-assessment averaging (MYAA) in determining the apportionment of school taxes in the 2024-2025 tax levy. "This averaging method avoids changes in school taxes no matter when or how often new assessments happen," Patchett explained. "We are in full belief that MYAA is good for both of our communities, it will help stabilize taxes so we know what we are paying year to year and helps minimize the market trends that can give us big highs and big lows in our tax bill each year." Patchett also asked that a working committee consisting of two to three members from both Hague and Ticonderoga be established to study MYAA and to study the assessment process for a greater understanding of how the system works. Patchett had concerns that since the Town of Hague has not undergone a revaluation since 2004, it was assumed that residents were not paying their fair share in taxes. "I am here to tell you that is not true," Patchett said to the packed cafeteria, explaining that New York State law (NYSORPTS) sets the equalization rate each year to ensure multiple towns within the same district can compare their assessments on an equal basis for the purpose of apportioning the school tax levy. Patchett said that for the period since their prior revaluation in 2004 to 2024, Hague has paid more than 50 percent of the Ti school district's tax levy each and every year, paying $108 million while Ticonderoga paid $102 million. "When you look at the numbers, clearly we are getting a little outside the lines of fairness," he observed. "Hague taxpayers are currently paying $204,935 for each of its 35 Hague students, while Ticonderoga taxpayers are paying $8,567 for its 730 students. Hague pays 56 percent of the school tax levy while we only have 4.8 percent of the enrollment. Maybe not by population, but fiscally we are the majority of your constituents. We feel that you absolutely owe us careful consideration in terms of our request." Patchett reflected that the Town of Hague, like Ticonderoga, is also in dire need of economic revitalization. "I think there is a little bit of misconception of Hague," he admitted. "Some people think we are millionaires out there. The truth is, we have a few millionaires that have mansions, but generally speaking we are a multitude of Average Joes and a lot of people that just have generational homes just trying to hang onto them. Because of Hague's proximity to Lake George, property values continue to rise in an unhealthy way and in turn, so do our taxes. We are slowly losing our sense of community, our multi-generational family homeowners are quite frankly being taxed out of their homes." Case in point, Patchett cited the fact that when Hague annexed to Ticonderoga in 1979, 167 children from the town joined the Ti school district. In 2024, there are now only 35 that make the trek to Ti for their education. "That's a scary number," Patchett said. "It's scary for us because we don't know where we are going, if that number continues to go in that direction, one day when I am a grandfather, we may not have any kids that go out here. We are worried about our community and where we are going to end up." The Ticonderoga Central School District already uses MYAA for its BOCES costs. "We are very much one community, we are one entity, and I think people think it was because we didn't do a reval for so long that we saw an 11 percent tax swing- that's not the case," said Patchett. "We saw a surge in the market called coronavirus that gave us a 11 percent tax levy increase on our community, that is a massive swing for a small community like ours." Following Patchett's presentation, the seven out of nine present board members took a moment to ruminate on what they heard. "I think we as a board should consider it," said Seanna Porter. "I think it is a fair request. Ticonderoga has not had a town-wide revaluation since 2010, so when we do, we will have a similar impact to our property values and similar spike. I think it is safe to assume that we will feel that pain as far as year-to-year fluctuation and I think we would want to have a relief valve to smooth that changeover." Board member John Dreimiller admitted to not knowing enough about MYAA to make a decision on the spot, questioning if it is done elsewhere and if not, what the reasoning was. "We are not two separate districts, we are one district," Dreimiller noted. "Certainly money and taxes are two things that are amongst the most divisive. I was thinking this afternoon how many fine students and teachers have come from Hague in the time I have worked in this district- Frasiers, Delormes, Trombleys, Breitenbachs, Strums, Patchetts, Carneys. We have developed engineers and lots of great entrepreneurs, lawyers, builders, teachers. I have always thought it's not them in Hague and us in Ti, I think of us as one group. I hope we can move forward and come up with a solution that is palatable for all of us. Hague is a very important part of the fabric of this district- I would hate to see it fray." Town residents in the audience had a few thoughts as well. "I encourage looking into this further, but I also encourage apples to apples," said one Ti resident, suggesting the board find out what the enrollment of Ti students was in 1979 so that a comparison percentage could be determined, as enrollment from Ti students has also dropped in the past four decades. "I am not opposed to averaging at all, but as a homeowner my budget is part of my life and I can only afford so much. If we were to sit here today and back average the last five years, that will affect Ti residents because we were at a 100 percent at least twice over the last five years, where Hague was not." It was suggested by the resident that if MYAA averaging were to be instituted, that a three year waiting period should occur first for a more level playing field. "I don't think this is a big ask," followed a Hague resident. "When Ti has their reval, they will benefit from this. I have six children that graduated from this school. All the Hague kids that have graduated come from very basic families, they are not rich, their taxes go up just like yours. What we are asking for is just fairness." The board agreed to research and evaluate Patchett's request before making a decision. "We feel that further discussion is warranted- we want to implement MYAA to benefit both communities," Patchett finished. "The school board is the only entity that can implement MYAA- you have a unique opportunity to do this for both communities. The Town of Hague, and the Town of Ti, are counting on you."

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Hague requests multi-year assessment averaging for Ti school district

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