The Long Island Power Authority says state legislation that limits property tax assessment challenges is unconstitutional.
The bill is in response to a LIPA lawsuit against the Town of Huntington for allegedly overtaxing its Northport plant. Huntington assessed the value of the plant at $3.4 billion, but LIPA says it’s worth about $200 million.
The difference in the valuation means a big difference in how much tax gets paid to Huntington.
LIPA CEO Tom Falcone says the bill would allow for unfair property assessments.
“What the bill does is it says any assessor can assess a property at anything they like, and LIPA customers don’t have any rights.”
The ongoing court case will try to assess the plant, but proceedings could be delayed if the legislation is signed into law.
