Management Report
standard equipment for each of our on-duty Public Safety officers, months ahead of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), an accomplishment that the Co-op City Public Safety Department (CCPD) should be recognized for. Through the efforts of our Risk Management Department, we have reduced our workman’s compensation premiums by approximately $500,000 annually, largely by working with our Human Resources and Safety Departments to arrange for comprehensive workplace safety education for all of our employees. Aside from these savings in premiums, and perhaps more importantly, we are experiencing fewer workplace accidents and related injuries to our staff. We have also hired a new site safety director who will monitor our construction projects and conduct periodic preventative maintenance checks throughout the complex to ensure we are in compliance with applicable laws and safeguard the health of our workers and residents. Finally, management has presented to the Board the legally mandated twoyear operating budget. In addition, for the first time in the history of Co-op City, I provided a five-year capital budget, outlining and prioritizing the needed improvement to our infrastructure. We have recommended a carrying charge and garage fee increase. We did not make this recommendation lightly. These funds are needed solely to repair the infrastructure and guarantee the safety of the residents. Otherwise, we are running the day-today operations at a surplus. These are some of the easy fixes, the so-called “low hanging fruit,” we have been able to achieve in a short period of time. I will continue to work diligently to find ways to upgrade the quality of life for the residents by improving service delivery, repairing and restoring the aging and crumbling infrastructure, and identifying additional sources of income and expense reductions for the housing corporation, keeping in mind that Co-op City does not exist in a vacuum. There are expenses we must bear if these goals are to be realized. If services outside of the community are any indication, we are still much less expensive than almost any comparable housing development in the city. This is evident by our low vacancy rate. Our commitment, therefore, is to make sound business decisions, and to come up with reasonable and responsible ways of raising the money we would need in order to maintain the affordability of Co-op City. This will require the commitment of the management team at all levels. Changing the work force culture, I have found, is not easy. Achieving true accountability at all levels is the objective. Complacency will not be tolerated. This will not happen overnight, but it is my goal for as long as I am here at Co-op City. As I stated at the last town hall meeting, I will give you the good and bad news, but I will never lie.
STAR program
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Co-op City Times / March 4, 2017 (Continued from page 9)
more than one property can only have STAR on one property unless they are divorced or legally separated and can provide documentation to support their claim. There is no age limit to receive Basic STAR, however, the combined household income of the owner(s) must be $500,000 or less. Enhanced STAR applicants must also use the residence they are filing for as the primary residence of at least one owner. Therefore, for a married couple applying for Enhanced STAR, if one owner is absent from the property because they are receiving inpatient health related services at a residential health care facility, such as a nursing home or any other facility that provides lodging, board and physical care, as long as the property is not occupied by anyone other than the remaining spouse or co-owner, the property may qualify for Enhanced STAR as long as the following criteria are also met: the property owner(s) must be age 65 or older as of December 31 of the exemption year and have an annual total combined household income of $86,000 or less to qualify. Shareholders who are 60 years and older and need assistance completing their STAR applications may contact the JASA Senior Services Office at (718) 320-2066, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for an appointment. Total combined household income is the federal adjusted gross income minus the taxable amount of IRA distributions. If you are a shareholder and you applied for the STAR program last year, 2016/2017, and did not receive a credit, you should contact the New York City Department of Finance at calling 3-1-1. If you have not yet filed an application and, as a result, did not receive a credit this year, you should fill out an application before the upcoming March 15th deadline for a credit next year. All applications must be postmarked by Tuesday, March 15, 2017. You can obtain a STAR application by calling 3-1-1, or by logging onto the DOF website at www.nyc.gov/star. Completed STAR applications should be mailed to: The New York City Department of Finance, P.O. Box 311, Maplewood, NJ 07040-0311. You should keep a copy of your application for your records. Eligibility for the upcoming 2017/2018 STAR credit, which will be receive by those who qualify next year, is based on income information from the 2015 tax year. You will also need the following information to complete your STAR application: • Cooperators who live in Sections 1-4, and in the Adler, Asch, Cooper, Debs, DeFoe and Broun Place townhouses – “Block #: 5141; Lot#: 120. • Cooperators who live in Section 5 and the Earhart Lane townhouses – (Continued from page 1)
Matthew Miller Wins Big At Throwback Martial Arts Tourney
Co-op City Spotlight
On Saturday, February 25, Co-op City resident Matthew Miller gave an oral Black History presentation on legends of Black Martial Artists at the NCNW’s Co-op City Section’s annual Black History Youth Celebration which was held in the Dreiser Auditorium. Following his oral presentation, Matthew performed a Kungfu demonstrations, a karate demonstration and bo staff and broadsword demonstration. He then broke two wooden boards with one punch. Matthew was one of several other young people whose talents and skills were being celebrated at this annual Grandmaster Dr. Ernest Hyman (left), Matthew event. Miller (center) and Master Carl Smith, promoter/ Then, on Sunday, February 26, host of the Throwback Tournament. Matthew competed at the Throwback Martial Arts Tournament in Harlem, NY where he represented the Harlem Karate Institute and won First Place in Underbelt Kata Division and Grand Champion in the Kata Division and took second place in the Sparring Division. On April 8th, Matthew will be honored with a prestigious Expos 11 award in Atlantic City at the Golden Nugget Casino, along with many notable masters of the martial arts. He will do a five-minute demonstration in front of seasoned martial arts legends and will be filmed. Matthew will be the youngest ever to receive this award.
Please Refrain From Littering. Keep Co-op City Clean! Block#: 5135; Lot: 51. This year, eligible shareholders who applied for the 2016/2017 tax year received their credit on their March, 2017 carrying charge statement. The recipients of the 2016/2017 Basic STAR received $101.40 and those who qualified for Enhanced STAR got $220.44. Out of Co-op City’s 15,372 apartments, 8,234 received the credit for 2016/2017, which amounted to a total of $1,212,514.08 that was shared by those households for Basic and Enhanced STAR.
Notice to shareholders who prepaid carrying charges
Shareholder who prepaid their carrying charges last July are advised that this year’s STAR credit has been posted on their account to offset any additional charges they have incurred or to reduce the amount owed when their carrying charges come due again this July. –Riverbay Finance Department