Last year, the Saratoga Springs Accounts Department made a clerical error that, according to court papers, cost the Saratoga Springs City School District $215,400.00 in tax income. During the contentious discussion at the September 7, 2023, City Council meeting, Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran did not dispute that there had been a clerical error in his office, but Mayor Ron Kim questioned the amount which at the time of the meeting was $217,000.00. The central dispute, though, appeared to be the remedy. The city refuses to provide the school district with the lost income.
The issue is arcane, involving the city’s failure to include Quad Graphics on its tax rolls.
I have to admit that I do not fully understand the technical issues surrounding the error. In February, the Daily Gazette reported on it for those who want to explore the details. I have also included the full video of the presentation made to the Council at the bottom of this post, during which Eleanor Mullany, the attorney representing the School District, explains the error that precipitated the conflict.
Commissioner Dillon Moran has refused to support making the school district whole by paying the lost income. Instead, he advised the school district to either:
- Resend all the tax bills to the over 20,000.00 taxpayers in the Saratoga Springs City School District which extends beyond the city’s boundaries.
- Eat the loss. Moran lectured the Superintendent of the Saratoga Springs School District Mike Patton and Ms. Mullaney that $215,400.00 is a tiny fraction of the total school budget, so they should be able to make some minor cuts and absorb it.
The following is an excerpt from the presentation during which Ms. Mullaney attempts to explain to the Council why sending out twenty thousand revised tax notices would create chaos for the district.
Moran’s tone in responding is problematic. At one point, he accuses Ms. Mullaney of “misrepresenting the conversations we had.” As the excerpt below documents, he tells Mullaney, “We will see you in court.”
It was quite disturbing to observe Moran’s open hostility to the representatives of the school district, who were, in contrast, quite conciliatory.
Saratoga Springs Politics 
When Comm. Moron said “see you in court”, was that statement made with legal advice? Or just shooting from the hip, and trying to intimidate? We don’t need mavericks, who will recklessly cause taxpayers to spend more money on legal bills. We need common sense and respect from our elected officials.
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It is outrageous that a sitting council member – at the council table – would say “see you in court”. This is how this council operates, you don’t like what they do, bring a law suit. Does he, or anyone on the council, realize it is the same taxpayers that will be paying both legal bills, for the city and school district, to settle this issue. And to suggest just resend new tax bills shows the ignorance or is it arrogance of Comm. Moron. If this is how the leader of the city school district is treated, I can’t imagine how an average citizen is treated. I agree Henry37 – common sense and respect from our elected officials is a minimum requirement, which unfortunately these people do not display.
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