Elmont Online

ALBANY — Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office last week identified 497 of the state's 882 fire districts as being delinquent by failing to file their tax-levy data for required analysis. It turns out that a number of those districts, however, might have completed their work only to be tripped up by the online filing system.

"We had a technical glitch," said Mark Johnson, a spokesman for the Comptroller's office.

The apparent problem was in the two final screens in the filing process: one that allowed the district to save their data as a draft, and a final screen that submitted it to the Comptroller.

After the Nov. 4 filing deadline fell, DiNapoli's office contacted 120 fire districts that had saved data in their online form but failed to take the final step. By early last week, when the office released its list of delinquents, that number was down to 49.

"Those 49 were on the delinquent list because we have no way of knowing if they didn't file due to technical error or otherwise," Johnson said in an e-mail.

Mary Alice Molgard, a commissioner with the Berne Fire District, called the organization's treasurer after seeing its inclusion on the Comptroller's list. As far as Molgard knew, the district had filed its data at the end of September — more than a month ahead of the deadline.

"This was the first we knew about it," she said of Berne's delinquent status.

Johnson said that out of the roughly 30 Capital Region districts identified on the delinquent list, a half-dozen had saved their data in the online form: Berne as well as Eastern Pittstown, Hoags Corners, Burnt Hills, Northumberland No. 1 and Rotterdam No. 1.

He said all received a phone call before the release of last week's list, as well as delinquent notice sent via hard copy and e-mail.

Berne took the final step in the process on Friday, Johnson said, although the others were still pending.

Fire districts are the first of the state's taxing entities required to submit their tax levy data to the Comptroller's office to ensure that budgets stay within the state's new 2 percent tax cap. If a district's calculations are incorrect and its taxes exceed the cap, any overage collected from taxpayers must be set aside and used to lower the following year's levy.

The months ahead will bring similar deadlines for towns, villages, cities, school districts and the rest of New York's often dizzying array of taxing entities.

Reach Seiler at 454-5619 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .