Amenia Town Board votes to approve Silo Ridge settlements

AMENIA — The Amenia Town Board voted to approve settlement agreements with 12 Silo Ridge property owners over disputed property tax assessments dating back to 2019.

Owners of houses and condo buildings in the Silo Ridge Field Club luxury housing development began filing lawsuits challenging the assessment of their properties in 2019, refiling each year to challenge every tax assessment since.

The settlements approved by Town Board members will resolve most of the pending litigation, Attorney Shane Egan said. Egan serves as the town’s attorney in tax cases, and has represented the town in court while the lawsuits were pending.

The settlement agreements were approved at a regular meeting of the Town Board on Thursday, Sept. 18. Copies of the settlement agreements are available to view on the town’s website at ameniany.gov as part of the packet of documents submitted for the meeting.

Tables contained in the settlement documents detail reductions in assessed value ranging from 10% to 30% over the next three years for each property.

The settlement agreements are still pending approval from the Webutuck School Board and the Dutchess County tax attorney, Egan said, which could take a few more weeks, though final approval is expected in mid-October.

Egan expressed confidence that these settlements will bring an end to the years-long saga that has embroiled the town in court proceedings over the contested tax assessments. “Board members approved the terms because they believed them to be favorable to the town,” Egan said.