Read the memo Mamdani's team sent to NYC lawmakers explaining the controversial pied-à-terre tax rollout

City Council is holding a public hearing Tuesday about Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rollout of a new tax on luxury second homes. cmart7327/Getty Images NYC City Council is holding a meeting on Tuesday over the pied-à-terre tax rollout.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani's team submitted testimony explaining how they've started informing homeowners.

A lawsuit over the Department of Finance property records release is ongoing.

New York City homeowners say they're confused by Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rollout of the pied-à-terre tax — and they're joining City Council on Tuesday to testify.

The Mayor's Office opted to forgo an in-person appearance at the hearing, instead submitting a written memo.

In a copy obtained by Business Insider, Mamdani's team said their release of home values and addresses ahead of the levy is standard, with Department of Finance Commissioner Richard Lee writing that the information is "highly accessible to the public, and it has been for many years.

Any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect." The levy on luxury second homes sparked a public uproar in late July after the NYC Department of Finance sent letters to 17,000 addresses that could potentially be a pied-à-terre based on property value and internal records.

The DOF also published a list of over 900,000 properties and their valuations across the city.

In the Tuesday testimony, Lee continued that "the supplemental roll does not establish which properties are subject to the surcharge," and is intended to provide "a basis for property owners to challenge the value of their properties." Residents have until September 18 — an extended deadline — to prove their property doesn't qualify for the tax before it starts showing up on bills in 2027.

On social media, some New Yorkers said that they mistakenly received a letter for their primary residence, while others felt their privacy was violated during the DOF records release.

Council Member Gail Brewer, who represents Manhattan's Upper West Side, told Business Insider that her office has been "bombarded" by concerned constituents in recent weeks.

Brewer said that she and other council members complied "pages and pages" of questions about the pied-à-terre rollout they hope the Mayor's Office will address.

A lawsuit — filed by three residents based in Manhattan and Staten Island — is also pending, with a court date scheduled for August 31.