The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (the “Agency”) seeks qualified title insurers, title abstract firms and other qualified firms and/or persons to conduct title searches, cause the issuance of title insurance policies (either directly or as authorized agents for title insurers), perform other title insurance-related services with respect to proposed “projects” of the Agency, and perform related professional services, at the direction of the Agency as more particularly described here (see attached document).

 

The following is from a bulletin issued by Empire State Development

 

Important for those of you asking questions about whether vendors, lawyers or other third parties who service financial institutions are essential, the follow is included in the guidance at question 11:

 

QUESTION: What if my business is NOT an “Essential Business” listed on ESD’s guidance but provides services, materials, supplies or other support to an Essential Business?

 

ANSWER: If your firm is a vendor, supplier or provides other support to an Essential Business that is required for the Essential Business’s operation, then your business is exempt from the employment reduction provisions contained in Executive Orders 202.8. However, only those employees necessary to support the Essential Business are exempt from the employment reduction requirements of Executive Orders 202.8 and your business is still required to utilize telecommuting or work from home procedures to the maximum extent possible.

 

 

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Superior Data Services has shared a report on municipal office hours and service reductions.  You can download the file below. It is labeled "COMBINED TOWN STATUS".

 

All reports and updates are constantly being refreshed, so check with your service provider to the most current information.

 

 

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The following message was received today from the Office of the Nassau County Clerk.

 

Please be advised, effective Tuesday, March 24, 2020, the Office of the Nassau County Clerk will continue to be closed to the public.  E-recording and E-filing will be processed with very limited staff levels.

 

Document submissions and requests can be mailed in with payment and self-addressed stamped envelope for return to:

Nassau County Clerk

240 Old Country Road

Mineola, NY  11501

 

For any emergencies, please contact countyclerk@nassaucountyny.gov

 

Please consult the County Clerk’s website for updates:  https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/458/County-Clerk

 

 

Eileen T. O'Donnell

Deputy County Clerk

Director of Operations

Office of the Nassau County Clerk

240 Old Country Road

Mineola, NY 11501

(516) 571-2661     FAX  (516) 742-4099

 

Municipal Liaison Committee Vice-chair James Scaturro has created a FAQ on NasSau County's Disputed Assessment Fund.  You can find that document in the County and Municipal File Library on this site. Go to RESOURCES in the top navigation and select DOCUMENTS & FILE LIBRARIES. 

 

Here is an except from a recent Newsday article, announcing the fund.

 

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano speaks about the disputed assessment fund on Monday, April 18, 2016, in Mineola. (Credit: Howard Schnapp)

 

Nassau will begin informing 14,000 area business owners this week of a new state law that officials say will result in tax hikes for all commercial properties but will end the county’s need to borrow about $80 million annually for commercial property tax refunds.

 

The law, which was passed by the state legislature in 2014 and goes into effect with the 2016/17 tax roll, requires business owners who contest their assessments to place up to 10 percent of the assessed value of their property in an escrow account. Funds from that account will be used to pay commercial property tax refunds if the business wins its challenge.

 

County Executive Edward Mangano said the Disputed Assessment Fund would create “incentives” for commercial businesses to quickly resolve their property tax claims.

 

“Practically speaking, they are not harmed,” Mangano says of the commercial property owner. “If they are correct they will pay their fair share of taxes ... and they will get their money back rapidly.”

 

To compensate for the money held in escrow, all commercial properties would see a tax rate increase, officials said.

 

Donald Leistman, head of the tax challenge division of the Nassau County Bar Association, said businesses will have “sticker shock” when they see their bills.

 

“The burden is shifting from the county as a whole to solely on the commercial property owners,” Leistman said.

 

For decades, Nassau paid out about $100 million annually for residential and commercial property tax refunds, Mangano said.

 

In 2011, Mangano instituted a residential settlement program to decide challenges before tax bills are issued. The program largely eliminated residential refunds, which averaged between $20 and $30 million per year, county officials said.

 

The new commercial program, Mangano said, would “significantly” reduce the county’s remaining liability.

If the court were to grant a commercial business owner a property tax refund exceeding 10 percent, Nassau would pay that additional amount from its operating budget, Mangano said.

 

The deadline for filing tax protests for the 2016/17 tax roll is May 2. Commercial property owners have until July 22 to reach a settlement with the Department of Assessment before the county imposes its escrow charge.

 

The county can grant assessment reductions while challenges continue. In rare circumstances, such as when a property has significant environmental problems, the amount in escrow could exceed 10 percent, Mangano said.

 

That assessment roll would be used by schools, towns and other taxing jurisdictions to set tax rates. School tax bills go out in October and county, town and general tax bills go out in January.

 

At that point, the county will bill commercial property owners for the difference in taxes calculated by using the old disputed assessment multiplied by the new tax rates.

 

That money will be put in escrow. If the property owner wins an assessment reduction, the escrow fund will be tapped to pay the refund. If the business owner loses, the money paid into the fund would go to the taxing districts.

 

Amazing stuff you can find out if you just ask.  

 

Last week, the Nassau County Clerk told me that the section/block/lot on the Assessor’s Tax Map Verification Letter is often incorrect. So if you are recording documents with Nassau County, use the S/B/L from the legal description. Do not use the S/B/L from that $225 letter you just bought.

According to the County Clerk, the maps used by the Assessor do not agree with the maps used by the Clerk.

 

As my grandmother used to say, “Who knew?”

 

 

The information in this blog post was bulk-emailed on Dec 18, 2015. 

  

Some Members have difficulty getting our email-blasts, so I am posting it here. - RGT

 

 

Westchester County offers training on YouTube

County Clerk Timothy Idoni issued the following announcement.

WHITE PLAINS, NY: Westchester County Clerk Tim Idoni is pleased to announce the launch of the County Clerk's YouTube channel, currently featuring tutorial videos on how to use the Clerk's PREP System to record land records.  The following videos are currently available:


Basics of Using PREP for Recording Land Records in Westchester County

Entering a Deed and creation of Transfer Tax Forms in PREP

Entering a Mortgage in PREP

Entering a Satisfaction of Mortgage in PREP

These videos help customers who need to submit land records, such as deeds or satisfactions of mortgage, for recording in the Office of the County Clerk.

More videos will be added in the coming months to help users navigate services offered by the County Clerk's Office. 

To access the videos, visit YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/TheWestchesterClerk

For more information visit www.westchesterclerk.com.

 

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Orange County announces web site subscription fees

Effective January 1, 2016 there will be a subscription fee to access the Orange County Land Records website.

Fees are as follows:

    Unlimited access {view only) $150.00 per quarter in State subscribers.
    Unlimited access {view only) $600.00 per quarter out of State subscribers.
    Copies are an additional per page fee of .65 cents payable by credit card.
    Non subscriber timed access $15.00 for fifteen minutes.

Initial account must be established by check, renewals can be payable by credit card. Cancellation can be done anytime by notifying IQS, however any unused portion is nonrefundable. Service will commence once payment is received.

For more information, contact Kelly Eskew, Deputy County Clerk  (845) 291-2697.

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Nassau County Fee increases

On Monday December 21, the Nassau County Legislature is in public session starting at 1 PM. (Click for details)

We are planning to present public comment at that session to address the recent fee increases which took effect on December 7th.

A Title Action Network Alert will be issued next week asking Nassau County Members to contact their County Legislator. The TAN Alert allows you to add personal comments to the legislator email.

If you are a TAN Member, make sure your account is active or if you want to join the Title Action Network, go to: http://www.titleactionnetwork.com/