Health & Fitness
The Answer is $206,398
Clarkstown residents ask yourselves why your taxes are constantly increasing, why the school buildings are deteriorating and why the roads are full of potholes.
I respect the state workers and I respect their unions, but we simply can't afford to pay benefits and pensions that are out of line with economic reality – Andrew Cuomo
$206,398 is more than four times the median national income in America (in 2011).
$206,398 is enough to hire 3.43 teachers for Clarkstown Schools earning $60,000 per year.
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$206,398 is enough to pay to replace the leaking roof on eight school buildings at $25,000 per roof.
$206,398 is the amount of property taxes collected from 17 homes in Clarkstown paying an average of $12,000 per year in property taxes.
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$206,398 is enough to go on 34 family vacations costing an average of $5,000.
$206,398 is more than 14 times the average annual social security benefit of a retiree collecting as of June 2013.
$206,398 is enough to buy with cash four 2013 Mercedes Benz E-350 vehicles.
$206,398 is almost equal to the annual salary of the New York City Police Commissioner ($215,000 for 2012) who is in charge of a police force of approximately 34,500.
$206,398 is $36,348 more than the salary of the Governor of the State of New York.
$206,398……it is the pension of Peter Noonan, the recently retired 61 year old chief of police for the town of Clarkstown. Noonan retired after 33 years with the department and his $190,000 plus lifetime pension was increased to $206,398 due to a recalculation. Mr. Noonan is now the top cop pensioner in the State and is collecting the eighth highest paid municipal pension in the State.
$4,623,315 is the amount of retirement income the Clarkstown taxpayers will pay to Mr. Noonan with a life expectancy of 22.4 years. This excludes cost of living increases and any medical benefits that may be collected as well.
So, Clarkstown residents ask yourselves:
Why are your taxes constantly increasing?
Why are the school buildings deteriorating?
Why are the roads full of potholes?
One of the answers is $206,398.
This article was witten Mark Brenner who is a retired CPA. Mark worked for both a large national firm and was a partner in a regional firm before finishing his career as a CFO in private industry. Mark is a former Clarkstown resident who lived in New City for over 34 years before moving to Orangetown.
Mark contributes to the Facebook page Clarkstown: What They Don't Want You To Know where this article first appeared.
