Why are pelham taxes so high

Good schools cost a lot, we believe, and so we pay the bill. The question lingers, though: What exactly are we paying for? Teachers about 13, of them , plus administrators, nurses, janitors, school bus drivers, band directors, guidance counselors, psychologists, secretaries, business managers, basketball coaches, and more—many, many more. The U. There are other major expenses, too, of course. Other than that, the two counties are remarkably similar.

The cost of living is comparable, too. Their schools had , pupils in ; we had , Yes, but Westchester schools are nationally known. They have stellar reputations. Or Horace Greeley? Or Edgemont High? But…hold on…so are Fairfax County schools. By most standards, their academic achievements were just as good as ours, if not better. Fairfax students in the class of had an average combined SAT score of This year, the average high school in Westchester scored The four-year graduation rate was the same for both counties: 91 percent, and about the same percentage of students went on to college: 93 percent for Fairfax, 94 percent for Westchester.

So what accounts for the difference in the cost of the schools? The pay scales reflect it, too. When you multiply it times the number of teachers in Westchester, the difference hits your tax bill like a Big Mac hits your waistline. The salary range between beginning teachers and those with more experience and education is tremendous.

According to City-Data. The two costliest benefits are health insurance and retirement. As in every other sector of our economy, health insurance takes an ever-increasing bite out of school budgets. Taxpayers bear almost the entire burden of health insurance for school employees. Statewide, teachers pay 10 to 13 percent of their insurance premiums. Non-teaching personnel pay a comparable share.

Third Party Notification If you are either 65 years of age or older or disabled and you own and occupy your residence, you may designate an adult third party, with their consent, to receive duplicate copies of your tax bills and notices of unpaid taxes until further notice.

Applications may be obtained from the Tax Receivers Office. If, due to a disability, you need an accommodation or assistance to participate in paying taxes, please contact our office at Taxes can no longer be dropped at the Police Station. All payments received from the Police Department will be returned to the owner without being processed and penalty will apply if applicable.

Winter Wonderland — Saturday, November 27th:. Do not send cash by mail or drop box. The account number should be written on the front of the cheque and bill payment stub attached to ensure payment is applied to your account. Cheques sent by mail are processed the date received.

To ensure no late charges accrue, allow sufficient mailing time. Cheques can also be placed in an envelope in the drop box located at the lower entrance to Town Hall, adjacent to Peace Park. All mail will be collected from the box at p. Pre-authorized automatic withdrawal payment plans offer an easy, hassle-free payment option. Payments are always made on-time, avoiding any late payment charges and residents do not have to wait in line to make payments.

There are no administration fees or charges by the Town to join any of these plans. To enrol in a pre-authorized payment plan, please visit www. On February 1, , Council approved a special pre-authorized property tax COVID payment plan for , in order to offer flexibility for taxpayers facing financial challenges due to the pandemic.

Click here for more information and eligibility requirements. This includes NSF payments and stopped payments. All payments made after p. If you require a receipt for tax purposes and are paying in person, please advise the cashier before you make payment.

Great towns if you've got the income to manage it. My username is outdated, I've been a Pelhamite for close to two years now. Spouse and two young kids, we love it here. Fantastic place for a family, walkable, great services, schools are excellent, and the people are very down to earth. The biggest issues are real estate taxes high and not a lot of public parkland not as big an issue. Tax rates are the same, two elementary schools in each village, one Middle and one High for the town.

The Village has the Metro-North station limited parking and more commercial stuff, the Manor has generally larger lots and more expensive homes, and access to Shore Park on the Sound. I live in the Village. I don't want to come across as being negative about Scarsdale, as it is a great town, but the taxes are just as high, if not higher, than Pelham.

That's not to say that such sentiments aren't applicable to Pelham as well, but I think if you polled people and got honest responses, you'd find that those characterizations were more applicable to Scarsdale. If you're choosing between Pelham and Scarsdale, that's a great problem to have. Either will provide a great education for your children, and cost you and an arm and a leg in the process. Scarsdale might take a third limb as well.

Pelham resident here as well, but moving to Scarsdale. I truly love Pelham and will always remember my time here fondly.

However, I was looking for more in a town in terms of things to do, and unfortunately other towns like Scarsdale take the cake.