Trump National Golf Club Westchester sits on Shadow Tree Lane in Briarcliff Manor. The town of Ossining’s current assessment value of the property is $15.1 million, though President Trump’s lawyers say it’s worth less than that.
Yet and still, his campaign filings value the course at over $50 million, continuing a fight with the town of Ossining ongoing since 2015.
Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg joked, “Most people say, ‘Why doesn't the town just buy the golf course for $1.4 million? I will buy the gulf course for 1.4 million dollars.’”
She says it shocks people that the President feels the golf course is worth $1.4 million, so much so that she showed FiOS1 News dozens of post cards from across the country sent to the town hall.
People are upset President Trump doesn’t want to pay his taxes. One card said, “Trump needs to be paying the same taxes as other residents,” while another said, “we support you in taxing the Trump golf course for its full value.”
Levenberg says Trump is paying taxes, though, based on the assessment of $15.1 million by the town in 2016. That means in 2017, his taxes will be nearly $500,000.
Trump has filed a lawsuit against the town. If he wins, the town could owe him a refund of $450,000. Levenberg says a loss would hurt the town and Briarcliff Manor’s schools.
People living near the golf course have homes valued at more than $1.4 million. They think the lawsuit is plain wrong.
"Both the town and the school district now need to invest resources in terms of time and money for legal fees to fight the claim,” said Briarcliff Manor resident Nancy Cohen. “Those are resources that could benefit the citizens."
The town isn’t preparing to lose the fight. At a board meeting tomorrow, they plan to vote on a special golf course appraiser to help them later in court.
Levenberg understands, though, often private golf course are assessed lower than market value because under the law, they often valued like public courses, taking out of the equation what members pay and their grandeur.
Levenberg is hoping to change this precedent in court, saying, "We want them to be successful in Ossining, but we want them to pay their fair share."
The case has gone to the state Supreme Court in White Plains, but often these cases can take years to resolve.
