The County is responsible for the enforcement of real property taxes in accordance with New York State Real Property Tax Law (RPTL). The County’s annual real property tax revenues of approximately $76 million annually are a vital revenue source needed to support County operations. Weaknesses identified in the internal controls over the County’s real property tax system result in financial loss to taxpayers when the County is unable to recoup uncollected taxes. As one of the County’s most essential duties that supports one of the County’s largest revenues, the establishment of adequate controls by the Executive and the Legislature is paramount.
As a result of our audit, the County has recouped more than $380k in interest overpaid to the Kington City School District (KCSD) [see Appendix A], foreclosed on a property with nearly $11 million in tax arrears, and developed a new process for paying school taxes on County owned properties, reducing future costs related to interest for late payments.
