Letters

I have previously written about the vindictive, unfair treatment my wife and I have received from the incumbent members of the Southampton Village Board in the process of filing grievances concerning our over-assessed property. The assessed values of properties are how the village determines who pays the village tax burden.

An example of the absurd, unfair results of the village’s assessed value system: 35 Rosko Drive is a knockdown, rebuild, sold for $7 million — its village assessed value is $16,000; 149 White Street is a knockdown, rebuild, sold for $7 million — its assessed value is $46,000.

These absurd results are computed by the village assessor, and nobody checks his work. In accounting parlance, this is a material internal controls weakness; in regular speak, this is just very poor management.

Another example: 700 Meadow Lane sold for $112.5 million. Its village assessed value is 0.003 percent of its market value. Properties on Windward Way and Dale Street have village assessed values which are 0.009 percent or higher — three times higher than Meadow Lane. This is just wrong.

The same way not checking the assessor’s work exposes the village to financial risk: The way the village allocates the tax burden discriminates against a class of residents and exposes the village to a class action lawsuit. And I have an email from a village trustee acknowledging this class discrimination, which I will share with anyone wishing to pursue this action.

Continuing to force residents of lower-valued properties to subsidize the residents of higher-valued properties says something about who we are. Do we care about others? Do we believe residents should be treated fairly?

You should see how you are being treated in the assessed value determination. Just take the value of your property and multiple it by 0.003. Compare that result to your village assessed value. If your village assessed value is more than the 0003 computation, you are being treated unfairly.

If you would like my help, contact me — I will help without charge. I provided some guidance and direction to one of my neighbors. That neighbor did a great job in the grievance process and now annually pays $2,400 less in village taxes.

You also can help the entire community by voting for candidates who actually care about others and are concerned about fairness. I can assure you that those are not the characteristics of the four incumbent village representatives.

David Rung

Southampton Village