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Editor’s note: Gaelan Baillie published this rant Thursday and it is spot on. Bottom line: Niagara Falls turned to hell because the State abandoned it by no paying property tax on the waterfront or its power generation facilities.
The privately owned Schoellkopf Power Plant was once the city’s biggest taxpayer. NYPA’s project should be paying the nonhomestead rate for the value of its facilities including the intakes and tunnels.
By Gaelan Baillie
Nice view. The Niagara Gorge which stretches 7 miles offers some of the best views of the river and it is entirely owned by NYS. About a 2 mile stretch above the falls is also owned by NYS. Close to 9-10 miles of waterfront property, prime property, property that would fetch a pretty penny of property tax for the city of Niagara Falls. How much does the state pay the city for owning the city’s waterfront. Not a penny.
How could the state own more than half of the city’s waterfront, the best parts of the waterfront and not pay any monies for it? Hell the state also took over the hydro electric business, a several billion dollar a year operation. Prior to 1960, a privately own hydro power plant paid a huge amount of money to the city in property taxes. So much money it covered half of the city’s budget.
So when you drive around NF and you say what hell happened here, well all the money was taken; is taken. All of the city’s wealth. All the wealth of natural resources controlled by the state. It is a huge injustice that most residents of the city are not aware of. It needs to be corrected.
If the state wants to own and protect the gorge and park and upper river, it needs to pay property tax for controlling what would be high valued private property and a large amount of lost property tax for the city and its residents. The city of Niagara Falls and its residents would be so much better off, in better condition, quality of life issues corrected, better services provided; if it was paid what it was rightfully owed in property tax.
