Galvan Runs A Nursing Home On State Street?

Here is one of Galvan's lovelier properties, 313 State Street.  It was recently assessed for $210,000, and because they claim to be using it for tax-exempt purposes, Galvan does not pay a penny in taxes on it.  Technically, 313 State is owned by Galvan Asset Management, Inc., one of Galvan's subsidiaries, if you will.  They have owned the 2-family building since 1999, according to public records.

The local tax rolls identify this property's tax-exempt code as 28520 RPTL 422.  NY State Tax Law defines RPTL 422 as being assigned to Not-For-Profit Housing Companies.  The 28520 designation is for Nursing Homes or Other Health Related Facilities.

According to New York State Tax law, property owners wanting to create tax-exempt status on their properties are required to fill out and submit form RP-420 with their local assessor's office, explaining, among other things, what tax-exempt activity is taking place on the property to justify the status.  The original RP-420 is supposed to remain in the assessor's office in the property's file.  Every year, the property owner must submit another form explaining whether or not the tax-exempt activity identified on the original RP-420 has changed or not.

I recently FOILed for any documents from the Hudson Assessor's office "which indicate the non-profit activity at 313 State Street which allow it to be tax-exempt."  My request came back as "The Assessor for the City of Hudson has no documents responsive to your request." 

In every file of every tax-exempt property in the City of Hudson Assessor's Office there should be an original form RP-420 -- an actual piece of paper that the owner has filled out and submitted to the office.  It appears that few, if any, of the files for Galvan's tax-exempt properties have this important piece of paper.

Anyone asking the City Assessor why 313 State is 100% tax-exempt should receive a response which explains what is going on inside the building.