St. Lawrence County's appeal denied in Ogdensburg tax case

May 24—ALBANY — St. Lawrence County will be responsible to make the city of Ogdensburg whole in regards to delinquent property taxes following a Tuesday ruling by the New York State Court of Appeals.

This ends a legal battle between the city and county that began in September of 2021 when the city amended its charter to relinquish its tax foreclosure responsibility with the intent of all foreclosure responsibility defaulting to the county. The charter changes went into effect Jan. 1, 2022.

The county responded in November 2021 with a lawsuit in Supreme Court, saying that the charter changes were not in accordance with New York State Municipal Home Rule Law or the state's Real Property Tax Law. The lawsuit was later dismissed on Dec. 10, 2021, by Judge Mary Farley. This latest ruling will end the county's appeal on the issue.

The ruling came in a 6-0 vote; one judge did not participate in the case.

It also stated that the county would be responsible for the city's legal fees.

"The order of the Appellate Division insofar as appealed from should be affirmed, with costs," the ruling stated.

When reached for comment, County Attorney Stephen D. Button said that the county will be looking into the "ramifications" of the ruling by the state Court of Appeals.

"We are still attempting to evaluate the decision and the ramifications of the decision," said Mr. Button.

City Manager Mohideen F. Buharie called the ruling "good news" for the city, but added that it's too early to know how it will impact the city.

The amount of money that the county would have to pay the city would depend on how many people are delinquent paying their taxes. Numbers have been tossed around during the issue with some saying the amount could be as low as $300,000 or as high as $900,000.

"The County alleges that the annual amount of the warrant, including delinquent School District taxes, is approximately $1.6 million," according to the ruling.