4 The Courier sun • MARCH 10, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Queens homeowners deserve a city tax rebate, says one lawmaker By Robert Pozarycki rpozarycki@qns.com/@robbpoz With the Great Recession now a bitter memory, some City Council members want the city to re-institute a tax break for homeowners that disappeared amid the financial turmoil. Councilman Eric Ulrich was one of five legislators who signed a letter to City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito asking her to support legislation that would bring back a $400 property tax rebate to owners of one- to six-family dwellings across the five boroughs. The state authorized the city in 2007 to issue the rebate to property owners, but the program was scrapped a year later as the city fell into a budget deficit amid the Great Recession. Nearly a decade later, the city’s finances are in excellent shape, according to Ulrich and the other co-signers. They noted that the city is projected to have a $1 billion surplus in the current 2016 fiscal year; the city finished the previous 2015 fiscal year with a $3 billion surplus. With the city’s economy in the black, the lawmakers wrote to Mark-Viverito, now is the time to give some of the extra money back to property owners who are facing higher costs of living. “Many homeowners struggle to pay property taxes, along with the rising cost of utilities, groceries, gas and transportation,” they wrote. “Even a modest rebate check would provide them with some financial relief, and could be used to pay bills or go back into the local economy.” Cautioning that “the economy is fickle” even with a projected surplus in the 2017 fiscal year, the lawmakers urged the city to reinstate the rebate at a time “when we are fortunate enough to be in a financial position to provide one.” They also supported efforts to set aside some of the surplus for a “rainy day fund” that could be tapped into when the city needs extra funds. Ulrich signed the letter along with the other two Republicans in the Council: Minority Leader Steven Matteo and City Councilman Joseph Borelli of Brooklyn. Two other prominent Democrats in the Council — Deputy Leader James Vacca and Mark Treyger, chair of the Committee on Recovery and Resilience — also inked their names to the letter. The letter comes as the city begins the process of creating a budget for the 2017 fiscal year, which begins on July 1. The de Blasio administration and City Council have until June 30 to agree to and enact a budget. THE COURIER/Photo by Anthony Giudice The CityScapces Gentlemen’s Club in Maspeth has been shut down due to a court order on March 3. Maspeth strip club where a Knicks player got shot and robbed remains closed By Anthony Giudice agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport The CityScapes Gentlemen’s Club, located at 55-61 58th St. in Maspeth, remains shut down since a court order was placed on the building on Thursday, March 3, the 108th Precinct announced. The location’s restraining order, meaning no property could be removed from the strip club, remains in place as well. The court order was issued with assistance from the NYPD Legal Bureau. The club made headlines last December when New York Knicks player Cleanthony Early was robbed and shot in the knee on Dec. 30 after leaving the club. The following day, CityScapes was hit with two Molotov cocktails that flew through the front window and sparked a fire inside the establishment. Following these two, unrelated violent incidents, the NYPD began monitoring the location. Police even suspected drug deals were taking place at the strip joint, leading them to shut it down. According to police, the owners of the club will have to go to court, where a judge will hand down a punishment. New hotel in south Jamaica will serve airport travelers: owners By Alan Burton editorial@qns.com/@QueensCourier A new hotel in south Jamaica will be a legitimate operation serving travelers, according to representatives of the business. State Senator James Sanders Jr. held a community panel on March 4 with the co-owners/general manager of the new Clarion Hotel on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Richie Dhillion and Haman Anand, about the business’s operations. Sanders said the meeting was an opportunity to formally introduce Clarion to the local community, describing Clarion as a “new neighbor” the Jamaica community deserves to “hear some details about.” Several community leaders showed up at the Herbert Birch School in Springfield Gardens where the meeting was held to voice concerns that the establishment may end up becoming an hourly rate or “hot sheet motel.” Dhillion and Anand assured the community that this would not be the case, insisting that it would be a “proper, clean, well-ran hotel.” The duo anticipates that their clients will primarily be families and business professionals visiting New York and traveling through John F. Kennedy Airport. Attendees also inquired about security, parking and potential jobs for the community. Dhillion and Anand said the hotel will have 50 rooms and 35 on-site parking spots. The hotel will also feature a stringent security system with cameras both inside and outside, alarms and a panic button. Despite having a breakfast/banquet area, the managers assured the community that there would be no liquor or loud parties. Regarding hiring, the two men say that job priority will be given to area residents. The hotel is scheduled to open sometime within the next two months. It is a franchise operation by Choice Hotels, which Dhillion and Anand say should inspire confidence in the community that this will be a reputable business. “We will make sure we have a good connection with the community and with law enforcement, making sure that there isn’t any illegal activity or anything that may be of concern to families and community members in the neighborhood,” Anand said.
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