JOIN GEPE’s FIGHT TO FIX Ithaca’s HOUSING CRISIS
Dear Neighbors,
A common concern that almost all Ithacans can agree on is that housing in our city has become far too expensive. Whether you are a homeowner or renter, all of us have our budgets squeezed tighter and tighter each year as housing costs continue to skyrocket. It is crucial that, as your potential councilman, I work tirelessly to address this issue for all Ithacans. Hence, the intention of today’s newsletter is to clarify my plan for how to stabilize housing costs for both renters and homeowners.
SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS
In the short term, the most effective way to reduce housing costs in our city is to change our current property tax structure. Compared to other U.S cities, Ithacans pay an abnormally high property tax rate, leaving them forced to sacrifice other needs to maintain their home. To alleviate this burden and cut property taxes, the city government must review future budgets more diligently to avoid inefficiencies and, in turn, pass those savings onto Ithacans. Although at first glance, property taxes appear to be an issue affecting only current homeowners, in reality, the tax burdens that landlords are forced to bear are inevitably passed on to renters. Regarding short-term solutions, adjusting our property tax codes is the easiest means of shrinking housing costs for both renters and homeowners in Ithaca.
LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS
With that being said, however, short-term fixes will not be sufficient to address the housing crisis that has plagued our city. In the long term, the city government must work to ensure that the actual cost of property, not just the associated tax burden, also stabilizes. To do so, it must be willing to make zoning changes that permit greater density in our residential neighborhoods, thereby increasing the housing supply and easing prices. I’m not suggesting anything radical, but rather simple changes to parking regulations and permitted uses in existing structures, thus permitting the existing duplexes and large houses built decades ago to be converted to properties that suit the needs of our city today. Secondly, Common Council can no longer offer tax abatements for large development firms and instead must make that money available to the owners of existing buildings to encourage reinvestment in homes and rental units. Rather than allowing developers to avoid a tax burden by doing the necessary work to ensure their new properties’ climate resilience, such tax abatements should be made available to everyday Ithacans seeking to do the same to their homes. It is only with such measures that we can expect individual Ithacans to make the necessary changes to their properties for our city to adhere to the Green New Deal adopted in 2019. Lastly, we must ensure that large, multinational corporations pay their fair share in property taxes. As our codes currently stand, chains such as Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowe’s pay the same property tax rate as any individual homeowner. To remedy this and ensure we can reasonably decrease the tax burden on local Ithacans while maintaining a balanced budget, a special tax district must be set up within the plazas and malls that house these chains. These are the solutions that, over time, will allow Ithacans to once again live in dignity, knowing they can reasonably afford their housing expenses.
WHY I AN BEST SUITED TO GET THE JOB DONE.
The Housing Crisis is daunting and undoubtedly one of the most pressing issues Ithaca faces today. However, there are clear, feasible solutions in both the long and short term to alleviate the burden thousands of Ithacans are facing today. All that is left is to ensure those whom we elect to Common Council have the proper experience, knowledge, and pragmatism to guide Ithaca out of this crisis and deliver its residents a city in which each person can afford their monthly housing costs. As your councilman, I will bring not just those attributes but an unparalleled dedication and passion to implementing these solutions and, in turn, alleviating our city’s housing crisis.
Respectfully,
Gepe Zurenda