What happened
The mall’s tax bill was cut nearly in half.2024
What it means for you
Palisades Center challenged its property taxes and won. Clarkstown, Rockland County and the school district refunded $27.5 million to the property owner, and the assessment dropped from $578 million to $300 million.1
A property that size paying less means every other homeowner covers more of the same bill. The school district absorbed $18 million of it.
In February 2026 the mall sold for $175 million, well under the value the town agreed to. The new owner can point at that price and ask for another cut.2
What happened
A 600,000 square foot warehouse plan was called zoning compliant.2026
What it means for you
Three warehouses on 41 wooded acres along Route 303. More than 1,600 trees removed, five acres of wetlands touched, and 342 truck trips a day through Clarkstown.3
Two hundred residents came out against it in July. The planning chairman’s answer was that it follows the zoning.
The town board writes that zoning. It has not been updated for what Route 303 has become.
What happened
Route 304 was repaved. It still is not safe to cross.2024 to now
What it means for you
Pedestrians have been struck and killed walking on Route 304 in New City.4
The town and county opened a safety study in 2024. It is still a study.5 A painted and lit crosswalk, a corner cleared so drivers can see, a missing stretch of sidewalk connected up. None of that is expensive. None of it has been funded.
What happened
The town promised 1,500 homes so seniors could stay.2021 to now
What it means for you
Clarkstown’s 2021 comprehensive plan set the target. Five years later the town still describes the effort as being in its infancy.6
Meanwhile parents who raised families here sell and leave, because there is nothing smaller to move into. Their kids cannot afford to come back.
What happened
The town borrowed for photocopiers.2025 to 2026
What it means for you
Roughly $28 million of new borrowing across 50 separate decisions, including photocopiers, office software and a timeclock system, all repaid over years with interest that lands on your tax bill.
Town debt went from $112 million at the end of 2020 to about $156 million in December 2025.7 None of those 50 decisions went to a public vote.
What happened
The engineer who found a $594,469 billing gap was put on leave.2026
What it means for you
On a $9 million energy contract, a contractor billed the full $680,320 labor allocation and marked the job complete. Certified payroll supported about $85,850. The town’s Director of Engineering reported the gap.8
The town put him on leave and filed an ethics complaint against him. It says the investigation predates his memos. His attorney says he was targeted for reporting waste.
Residents are still waiting for someone to explain where the money went.
Pending and unproven
In July 2026 a New City resident filed an ethics complaint alleging the town spent public money on paid Facebook and Instagram ads featuring sitting councilmen.9 The complaint is pending. No finding of wrongdoing has been made against anyone. We will update this page when the Ethics Board rules either way.
Sources
- Rockland County Business Journal, “Clarkstown Will Reimburse Palisades Center $27.5 Million In Tax Challenge; School District Takes $18 Million Hit” (July 10, 2024). — https://rcbizjournal.com/2024/07/10/clarkstown-will-reimburse-palisades-center-27-5-million-in-tax-challenge-school-district-takes-18-million-hit/
- Rockland County Business Journal, “Palisades Center Sells To Owner Of Underlying Debt For $175 Million” (February 4, 2026). — https://rcbizjournal.com/2026/02/04/palisades-center-sells-to-owner-of-underlying-debt-for-175-million/
- Rockland County Business Journal, “Clarkstown Residents Call for Planning Board To Deny Warehouse Application” (July 30, 2026). — https://rcbizjournal.com/2026/07/30/amid-political-theater-clarkstown-residents-call-for-planning-boards-to-deny-warehouse-application/
- Patch, “Pedestrian Killed On Route 304 In New City.” — https://patch.com/new-york/nanuet/pedestrian-seriously-injured-route-304
- Town of Clarkstown, Routes 303 and 304 Safety and Sustainability Study, first public workshop. — https://www.clarkstown.gov/press-release/first-public-workshop-for-route-303-304-corridors-study/
- Rockland Post, “Bob Axelrod vying for reelection in Clarkstown's Ward 4” (July 30, 2026). — https://rocklandpost.com/bob-axelrod-vying-for-reelection-in-clarkstowns-ward-4/
- Town of Clarkstown, Preliminary Official Statement, December 9, 2025 (Munistat). Individual borrowings compiled at clarkstownbonds.com from the board's published minutes. — https://www.munistat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ClarkstownTNDecember25BondsPOS-Federally-Taxable.pdf
- Rockland County Business Journal, “Clarkstown Residents Challenge Town Board On Disciplinary Action Taken Against Director Of Engineering” (July 14, 2026). — https://rcbizjournal.com/2026/07/14/clarkstown-residents-challenge-town-board-on-disciplinary-action-taken-against-director-of-engineering/
- Rockland County Business Journal, “Ethics Complaint Charges Clarkstown's Paid Facebook Ads Violate The Law” (July 28, 2026). — https://rcbizjournal.com/2026/07/28/ethics-complaint-charges-clarkstowns-paid-facebook-ads-violate-the-law/