Residents fight 40-percent increases on homes

The Gypsum Mills Estates in Victor offers senior citizens affordable living and activities to keep them on the go. But that could soon change. The Victor assessor, Wayne Pickering, has proposed at least a 40 percent increase to property values in that community, and the residents are speaking out at the Monday night town board meeting.

The Gypsum Mills Estates are located off Papermill Road just north of Route 96 in Victor. The owner of the mobile-home park, Bob Morgan, says he built the community ten years ago with the purpose of making an affordable neighborhood for senior citizens on fixed incomes. The increases would defeat the purpose, he says.

More than 900 people live in the quiet, tight-knit community. Over the last few weeks, the residents have been anything but quiet.

“His raising the taxes at the amounts that he wants would just blow holes in this place," said Don Kennedy, the president of the community’s cooperative.

Kennedy, 77, is one of hundreds of senior citizens fighting the town assessor's proposal to increase assessed home values from 40-thousand dollars up to 60-thousand dollars. He says the 40 to 50 percent increase would hurt many of the residents on fixed incomes.

They pay about 400-dollars a month for rent now.

“Do they sell? Do they move somewhere else? Can they handle the increased cost?,” asked Kennedy. “It's a problem."

The town of Victor assesses homes at 100 percent of the market value. Pickering says people living at the Gypsum Mills Estates have been paying taxes based on a flat rate of $40,600 per mobile home - even if the home and the lot it is on costs closer to $100,000.

“They're only paying about half of the taxes that they should be in the town,” Pickering says, “so, yes, I want to bring them up so everyone is paying their fair share of taxes."

According to Morgan, that could mean a $25 to $65 a month increase in rent and additional fees for amenities like golf, swimming and exercise classes that are currently included in the rent.

Kennedy says prices like that might push people out of the community or keep potential buyers away.

“We've had at least two people come out who've said, ‘look I'm scared of this tax situation, and I would like my deposit back’,” Kennedy said. “In essence, it's going to put a dead stop to the 25 more homes or lots that can be sold."

Another cost tenants might take on -- the assessed value of the lots the mobile homes are built on. The lots are currently assessed at $6,400, but Pickering is proposing a 300 percent increase up to $18,000 for each.

Residents say they plan to fight the increases until a decision is made in May. They want the town assessor to wait until 2009 and have more meetings with the residents before he imposes any major increases.