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Who Pays Property Taxes, and How Much?

Tax loads in Mount Vernon differ wildly, and political connections seem to help.

The bills are rising for everyone in Mount Vernon. Almost everyone. We checked 199 homes on three streets and found the exceptions: a $906K home paying $8,327, a $1.6 million home paying $225, and $59 million in taxes nobody collec
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At 115 Opal, Mount Vernon Gave Away the House

The IDA lost millions, got its own math wrong, and rewarded the mayor's campaign fundraiser.

The Mount Vernon IDA's own consultant corrected the math: Opal 115 leaves the city $5.8M short and the schools $26M short over its 30-year tax break.
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11 Questions for the State Monitor Before the June 16 Mount Vernon School District Budget Revote

MVCIP publishes a letter from a Mount Vernon resident raising questions about the School District's reported surplus, budget transfers, tax levy increase, class-size projections, and financial transparency ahead of the June 16 budget revote.
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City Hall’s Private Charities

How Mount Vernon Officials Built Two Nonprofits to Fund Themselves with Your Money

Two city-employee-run nonprofits operate out of the same room in Mount Vernon City Hall. The Comptroller leads both — and approved $60,000 in federal funds to one of them. Public records reveal deep conflicts of interest and zero public oversight.
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We Met With Assemblyman Pretlow About Mount Vernon’s Fiscal Emergency

He supports state financial oversight — if the city council asks for it.

MVCIP met with Assemblyman Pretlow to discuss Mount Vernon's fiscal crisis. He supports state financial oversight — but the City Council must request it first.
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The Austerity Budget That Wasn’t

Mount Vernon is operating under what City officials describe as “austerity budget protocols.”

Mount Vernon officials approved $20,800 in conference travel, a Las Vegas junket for a Building Commissioner whose department is in shambles, and a portrait ceremony — all while claiming austerity.
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nys-financial-monitor

Mount Vernon Needs a State Financial Monitor – Now

Rising Costs, declining Capacity, and a Government that has lost Control of its Finances.

Rising taxes, declining services, and no bond rating — Mount Vernon's finances are in freefall. MVCIP explains why the State must appoint a financial monitor now.
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Sloppy Governance, Predictable Consequences

How an unforced error pushed higher taxes onto Mount Vernon’s most vulnerable residents

A fee for low-income seniors was quietly doubled, passed into law, and mailed out on tax bills without anyone at City Hall stopping to ask if it made sense.
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Mount Vernon City Property Taxes Are Rising By 5.47%

A chaotic process, shifting figures, and a breakdown of basic accountability.

In less than six minutes, Mount Vernon officials locked in a 5.47% property tax increase after weeks of chaos, shifting numbers, and sidelined residents. This piece documents how the City ignored its own rules - despite explicit warnings - and why taxpayers keep paying the price.
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Drawing of Mount Vernon City Hall Sliding into the Abyss

Part 6: ARPA in Mount Vernon

How to Spend $41 Million in Federal Relief Funds and Still Be on the Precipice of Bankruptcy

By ARPA’s final year, accountability was missing. Millions were spent with minimal evidence of results, weak controls, and a recovery plan that never moved beyond paper.
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