David McKay Wilson, The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News 6:10 p.m. EDT September 10, 2015

Briarcliff Manor officials allege that Trump National Golf Club manipulated the outflow of ponds on the course, which led to flooding in June 2011 down the hill in Law Memorial Park, with the flood waters inundating the village swimming pool and adjacent playing fields, causing substantial damage.(Photo: David McKay Wilson/The Journal News)

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — When we last left Donald Trump, his lawyer had made the claim that his exclusive golf course in Briarcliff Manor was worth so little that it deserved a massive tax break from local taxpayers.

Now his lawyers have stonewalled Briarcliff's attempt to collect $238,000 from the presidential candidate's Trump National Golf Club in a dispute over flood damage following a 2011 deluge.

Village officials maintain the club's manipulation of water levels at Trump National's ponds caused overflows during the intense thunderstorms. Runoff from the storm damaged Briarcliff's downtown park after boulders came loose and blocked the water's path.

Trump's lawyers have alleged that former Mayor William Vescio ordered the collection efforts as revenge for Trump's sharp criticism of work performed by Vescio's construction company at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, which Trump now manages for New York City.

The dispute began not long after a series of storms on June 23, 2011, dumped 5 inches of rain on the region. Water swamped the village’s Law Memorial Park swimming pool and deposited silt about a third of a mile from the course, next to the Briarcliff Manor Public Library. Also flooded were the playing fields behind the swimming pool, where a geyser gushed from a manhole whose cover popped up from the drainage system blockage.

Court papers detail how, five days after the storm, the village issued Trump National a violation for failing to maintain its storm water facilities, which were installed when Trump remade the bankrupt Briar Hall course that he bought for $7.5 million in the early 2000s. Trump workers made "unauthorized alterations" to the outlets at five of the golf course's ponds, which raised the water levels by as much as 6 feet, the suit alleges. Doing so made the course look and play better for club members, but provided much less capacity during the June deluge.

The Trump golf officials met with the village over several months regarding the issue, but never followed through on corrective action, the village maintains.

"The failure of the Trump storm water facilities to perform as designed was the sole direct cause of the village damage," the village argued.

Donald Trump (Photo: Charlie Neibergall, AP)

Alan Garten, the Trump organization’s executive vice president and general counsel, said that local taxpayers would end up suffering because of the legal battle, which is entering the discovery phase in state Supreme Court. A July 20 deposition with the presidential candidate was postponed and has yet to be rescheduled.

"The whole thing is ridiculous, in my mind," said Garten. "A lot of the problem was caused because a drainage pipe under the village fields was clogged. It was clogged because the village was too cheap to put up a grate to prevent rocks and boulders from coming in."

The contretemps between Trump and the village comes as Trump National seeks to slash its property-taxes by 90%, lowering its bill from to $47,000 from $470,000 based on a precipitous decline in the exclusive club’s property value to $1.4 million. That case is pending before the Ossining Board of Assessment Review.

With its towering maples and elms and well-appointed outdoor pavilion, Law park holds a special place in the village’s history. The land was donated by Walter Law, the village’s founder and a Westchester land baron who rubbed shoulders with the Trumps of his day.

Since negotiations over the flood damage fell apart, the village billed Trump National for $238,353, which was the tab taxpayers have picked up after the village's insurance plan covered the rest.

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