Senator Nozzolio Secures Funding to Reimburse Cayuga and Seneca Counties

State Budget Reimburses Counties for Unpaid Indian Property Taxes
 

New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio announced that this year’s State Budget again includes funding to offset the financial burden on local taxpayers created by the refusal of the Cayuga Indians to pay their school and local property taxes. The over $400,000 in funding that Senator Nozzolio fought to secure will help to compensate Cayuga and Seneca Counties for unpaid property taxes on land that is owned by individual Cayuga Indians. 
 
“It is my pleasure to announce that my colleagues and I have been successful in our efforts to offset the financial burden on local taxpayers created by the Cayuga Indians refusal to pay their property taxes.   It is my firm belief that we must do everything possible to ensure the fair and equitable collection of these unpaid property taxes and I will continue my efforts to eliminate this unfair and costly burden on the hardworking taxpayers of Cayuga and Seneca Counties,” said New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio.  “This important funding does not release the Cayuga Indians from their financial obligation to the taxpayers of Cayuga and Seneca counties, but it does serve to bridge the financial deficit incurred during the last 12 month tax cycle,” continued Senator Nozzolio. 
 
After years of  hard work on this issue, Senator Nozzolio was successful in securing $2.5 million in last year's state budget to  help retroactively offset the financial deficit caused by the Cayuga Indians refusal to pay school and property taxes over a period of several years.   This year’s budget includes an additional $400,000 in state funding to offset the same costs incurred during the past year.  
 
“As State Senator, I am proud to have secured almost $3 million dollars over the last two years  to eliminate this unfair financial burden on the Cayuga and Seneca County taxpayers.  As a lifelong resident of Seneca County, I remain firmly committed to doing everything I can to protect our local, hardworking taxpayers from this inequity and will continue my efforts to see that the Cayuga Indians pay their fair share of taxes,” said Senator Mike Nozzolio.