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Attn. Natives In Gentrified Areas: Jim Kenney Is Trying To Save You Money … Ladies

When he’s not paying someone to tweet for him, or making memorable tweets of his own, Jim Kenney is a Councilman. And with his day job, he’s trying to make it a bit easier for natives whose areas have been unwillingly gentrified.

See, there’s this thing being discussed called AVI (or the Actual Value Initiative) where all homes in the city are going to be shifted to a property tax system based on market value. But Jim Kenney and fellow Councilman Mark Squilla are planning to introduce legislation to provide property tax relief for long time residents in gentrifying areas. Kenney told the Daily News, “The concern that Mark Squilla and I have are the long term residents who are living in areas where many people took advantage of the 10-year tax abatement and in many cases are facing a massive increase in market value.” How would it all work?

Under Kenney and Squilla’s proposal, owner-occupiers who have been in their homes for a decade or more could be forgiven part of their tax bill. Their legislation caps taxation at three times the market value assigned the house when you bought it. So if you bought a house 20 years ago that the city said was worth $40,000, under AVI you could be taxed at a valuation of no more than $120,000, even if your house is now valued at $400,000. The tax forgiveness would last until you sold the house or the title changed hands.”

Kenney said 30,000 homes could qualify for relief in neighborhoods such as Fishtown, Northern Liberties, Queen Village and Graduate Hospital. And what could you do with all of that saved money? Why, join Jim Kenney for a Girl’s Night Out of course. The Jim Kenney for Council Committee sent out information about a “Girl’s Night Out” with Jim Kenney at Table 31 on June 14. According to the release, for a $100 admission price, there will be dinner (with a 10% discount), door prizes, and, “while the night may be for the ladies, gentlemen are welcome,” they just have to pay double. Oh, that’s good. Otherwise that would be all weird and junk.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 31st, 2012 at 11:44 am.

  • Guest

    Fuck this article and fuck Kenney and Squilla.  How about we cap the value of “native’s” houses at three times the value they bought it for.

  • Guest

    Isn’t the whole point of gentrification to get rid of the natives?

  • Guest

    Not really.  It may happen (and the “natives” benefit with drastically increased house values) but in many cases it means taking abandoned buildings and lots and building on them.  Populations are increasing in gentrifying area or at least the rate of loss is decreasing.

  • steveeboy

    seems blatantly discriminatory.  How do they justify that special treatment based on length of residency?  wouldn’t that be a “separate and unequal” sort of thang?  and how do they expect to attract/keep new people with such a policy?  California ended up a basket case when they limited property taxes via prop 13. 

  • tsarstruck

    A beyond-awful idea with a teeming basket full of unintended consequences. 

  • guest

    While there may be some loopholes or parts of the plan that don’t work or could lead to a “can of worms” how is this not a good idea in theory. Old woman who lives in Queens Village for 60 years pays x. AVI get passed and now she can’t afford the house she raised her family in and has lived in for decades. This string sounds like a bunch of newbies……

  • Guest

    If this is about poor people then make a property tax credit for the poor.  If you make less than X dollars and have less than Y in assets your property tax is reduced by Z.

    But the Queen Village woman has plenty of benefits from the increased profits.  If she has owned it for 60 years she probably doesn’t have a mortgage.  Her property is worth a TON more than 60 years ago so she has hundreds of thousands in equity.  She can use that equity.  Now, if she wants to forfeit her equity to the city in return for decreased property taxes I’m all for the city putting a lien on her house to recoup the property tax reductions.

  • 1980CHAMPS

    So all the scumbag lifers who live in dilapidated homes that have been passed down from generation after generation that do nothing but make their neighborhoods worse are safe?   Fuck City Council.