Trump seeks 90% tax cut at New York golf club

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Donald Trump boasts of his business prowess and ability "to get it done" when making the case to become the next president of the United States.

His golf company’s bid to slash its local property taxes by 90% at Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor provides a glimpse of how he operates in the trenches of Westchester’s real estate world.

If Trump gets it done in Ossining, property taxes on the 140-acre complex on a Briarcliff Manor hilltop will plummet from $471,000 to $47,000, with the exclusive club’s neighbors picking up the $424,000 Trump would save. Trump would save the most in school taxes: The club’s bill would drop from $287,000 to $32,000.

Trump National also pays taxes to the village of Briarcliff Manor, the town of Ossining, and Westchester County.

“He’s going to pass the tax burden on to everybody else,” Ossining Receiver of Taxes Gloria Fried said. “And we still won’t get to play on his golf course.”

Former county Legislator Richard Wishnie of Briarcliff Manor says village homeowners are in no mood to pick up the sizable tax burden that Trump National wants to shed.

"It makes no sense to me for any of us to subsidize a billionaire so he can enjoy even more profits at that property," he said.

This is what Trump National's attorney Jeff Rodner claims is worth just $1.4 million: the club's 18-hole championship course, a 75,000-square-foot clubhouse with five overnight suites, and approval to build 71 condominiums overlooking the ninth-hole fairway in one of Westchester's top school districts.

The town of Ossining had valued the 140-acre property at $35 million after Trump spent a reported $45 million to rebuild the former Briar Hall course in the mid-2000s and construct its opulent clubhouse. But in 2008, when the economic downturn soured Westchester real estate and cut discretionary spending for wealthy golf aficionados, the town lowered the value by 55% after Trump's legal team pleaded for relief. Today the club is taxed on a value of $13.5 million.

Trump National’s claim that the property is now worth just $1.4 million appears in a June 16 assessment complaint filed by Rodner with the town of Ossining Board of Assessment Review. If the board fails to provide a big enough reduction, he can then file for relief in state Supreme Court.

Rodner did not return several phone messages seeking comment.

Trump National general manager Brian Lynch said he was unaware of the club’s campaign to lower its property taxes.

“How do you go from a value of $13 million to $1.4 million?” wondered Lynch. “I wish I could help you. I’m brand new here. I haven’t gotten my arms around the whole situation yet.”

You wouldn't know about Trump National's dire condition by visiting the website of the club, which is one of 15 Trump courses around the world. There, you'd find a picture of The Donald, teeing off, boasting in a signed note about the “luxury lifestyle” members will enjoy. Lynch declined to provide information on how many members filled the club's roster and what it cost to join.

Trump, an avid golfer, takes a personal interest in the details of Briarcliff club's management. He has played golf with local sportswriters to show them around. In true Trump fashion, the sumptuous locker room includes nameplates for such luminaries as former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani and television star Regis Philbin. He can also be counted on in the Westchester golf community to open his course for local amateur tournaments.

“Trump National Golf Club Westchester is among the most highly regarded in the state and the sensational clubhouse provides the ultimate setting for special events, member activities and relaxation,” wrote Trump on the website.

Ossining Assessor Fernando Gonzalez is prepared to fight Trump's low-ball grievance. He said there was no way to justify the claim that the Trump complex is worth just $1.4 million.

“It offends anybody who knows anything about Ossining values," he said. "It’s like me claiming that my brand-new truck that cost $45,000 is worth only $4,500. It’s just ridiculous.”