GAS STATION
Address: 113 N. Main St. Centerville, Ohio Description: Gas station and convenience store Assessed Value: $129,000 Property Taxes Paid to Schools: $1,074 Local School District: Centerville City Schools
Super America, a subsidiary of Ashland Oil Inc., does not pay taxes on improvements to its Centerville property. A 15-year abatement saves the station about $2,900 a year. According to city records, 38 of Centerville’s 600 businesses get a similar break, an incentive for locating in a historic-preservation area. The abatement properties cost the local school district $50,000 a year.
HOUSE FOR SALE
Address: 233 Davis Ave. White Plains, N.Y. Description: 4 bedroom, 2-bath house Assessed Value: $14,300 Property Taxes Paid to Schools: $3,131 Local School District: White Plains City Schools
Sellers are asking $319,900 for this “typical” house in White Plains, a suburb of New York City. The house includes a full basement with a wine cellar, a patio, an updated kitchen, and pegged oak floors. Of the $5,463 in property taxes on the 2,200-square-foot house, $3,131 goes to the local school district, among the wealthiest in New York.
STADIUM COMPLEX
Address: 2401 Ontario St. and 400 Huron Ave. Cleveland, Ohio Description: Major league ballpark and basketball arena Assessed Value: $86 million Property Taxes Paid to Schools: $427,362 Local School District: Cleveland Public Schools
Ohio lawmakers amended the law on tax-exempt properties such as churches to include the baseball stadium and basketball arena that are home to the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before, stadium tenants paid school taxes on the land and building. Now, the tax covers land value only ($10 million of the total assessed value above). The change has cost the school district, now under state oversight, $3.6 million since 1994.
DISTRIBUTION FACILITY
Address: 4607 Appliance Dr. Bellkamp, Md. Description: Spice warehouse Assessed Value: $5.4 million Property Taxes Paid to County: $59,017 Local School District: Harford County Public Schools
Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening brokered incentives worth nearly $6 million to persuade spice manufacturer McCormick & Co. to build its distribution plant north of Baltimore in Harford County rather than across the border in Pennsylvania, which was also in the bidding. The facility employs 150 workers. In addition to state incentives, Harford County officials offered a three-year abatement that will save the company some $300,000. The company got a $158,911 bill for school taxes, but incentives discounted that by $96,943.
THEME PARK & HOTEL
Address: Briley Parkway Nashville, Tenn. Description: Theme park, hotel, and concert hall. Assessed Value: $161.7 million Property Taxes Paid to Schools: $4,221,223 Local School District: Davidson County Schools
The owners of Opryland’s theme park, hotel, and Grand Ole Opry --properties appraised at more than $409 million--received tax abatements valued at more than $20 million over ten years in 1994.The bulk of the savings came when the complex was moved from the Urban Services District, which encompasses the city of Nashville and has a higher tax rate, to the General Services District, which has a lower one.
