Assessment Update

Published: 2/25/2004

Over the last year, the Town Assessor has been working on completing an update of the assessment of all properties. The last update was accomplished in 2000, and it is important that the assessment roles be updated every few years to maintain the most equitable assessments possible. I thought I would take this opportunity to provide you with some information about the update process and what you might expect from it.

In completing an update of the assessment the Assessor must throw out the values on each property and reestablish a new value based on sales that have taken place over the last few years. The process for determining new values is very comparable to having an appraisal done on your property. The Assessor must find properties that are not only comparable in square footage, but also must be similar in location, building style, age, condition, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, lot size, etc.

This process takes place on almost 10,000 tax parcels that make up our community. These parcels include structures that may be residential, commercial, industrial, or office uses. They may also be parcels that are vacant or open space. To be valid in the eyes of New York State, the new values must be within 5% of true market values. They actually test this on an annual basis by comparing the assessment that has been established to parcels that have sold.

In early March, the Assessor's Office will be sending out notices to those property owners whose assessment has changed. This notice will show the current assessment as well as the proposed assessment for the property. The notice will also show the actual taxes paid to support the Town's operating budget for 2004 as well as a projection that the change in assessment would have on taxes you would pay toward the same operating budget.

It is helpful to realize that the assessment process and the budget process are two distinct and separate processes. The Assessor has independent authority to establish the individual and collective assessed values for the community. The Town Board and I establish the annual operating budget that includes the total tax dollars needed to support a balanced budget. The proportional sharing of the taxes is established by dividing the total taxes raised by the total taxable value and then dividing by 1,000, since the tax rate is expressed in dollars per thousand. In 2004 the Town tax rate was $3.12 per thousand. This would mean that a person living in a $200,000 home would thus pay $624 in Town taxes.

Once you have received the notice in March and you wish to discuss your new assessment, you should make an appointment as instructed in the notice you receive. These meetings will take place in March. At this time, if you do not agree with the value that has been established you can present information that would support a different value. Recent appraisals or newly signed purchase or sales agreements are the types of documentation that are the most helpful in supporting a different value.

Steve Robson, the Town Assessor and his staff pride themselves on the fact that we are one of the few communities that do an assessment update in-house. Steve reviews the values on each and every property and establishes the new assessment. In doing so he carefully analyzes the property in question with properties that are comparable.

The benefit of this process is that Steve Robson and his staff are very familiar with most of the properties in town. If you have a need to meet with them they will take the time to discuss your property and your concerns. I believe most people walk away from their interactions with the Assessor's staff with a true appreciation for their professionalism and their attention to detail with each and every resident that comes in.

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