Overview
- Monday the Richmond County court heard arguments from homeowners who say the city wrongly sent about 17,000 preliminary notices and published a roster of nearly 1 million properties that exposed names and values.
- The city says its later review of 2025 state tax returns narrowed the pool to roughly 10,800 possible liable properties and that many plaintiffs have been found not subject to the surcharge.
- City lawyers argued plaintiffs lack legal standing because those suing no longer appear on the taxed list, while homeowners led by attorney Randy Mastro say the initial notices forced them to prove residency and harmed their privacy.
- City Hall extended the deadline to file residency exemptions to Oct. 6 and reports it has started 5,874 exemption applications and approved 3,655 as of Aug. 28 while it continues to rescind mistaken notices.
- The surcharge targets condos and co‑ops assessed at $1 million or more and single‑family homes at $5 million or more, with rates up to 6.5% for some units, and legal and verification disputes could cut or delay the projected $500 million in annual revenue.