Details discussed about reassessment project

NORTH EAST — Roughly 30 residents from the town of North East and the village of Millerton attended the public hearing on Monday, March 28, on the townwide property reassessment project. The hearing was held at the American Legion Hall Post 178 in Millerton. While Assessor Katherine Johnson said she was somewhat disappointed with attendance, she acknowledged it was better than previous such meetings.“It was better than the last time,” she said, adding it provided her the opportunity to explain to property owners why the town did the revaluation in the first place and what the process has entailed throughout the past five years, including data collection, sales analysis, creating new assessments and data review. “There were some people who were really involved with the process with the first reval in 2004 and also with the new process, which was nice.”The current reassessment was done at the town’s request after the 2004 project flopped. That reval was undertaken by John Watch of MJW Consultants, of whom many property owners complained about due to his methodology and results. After two years of updates, the town severed its relationship with Watch. In 2007 the assessor’s office began anew; soon thereafter Johnson joined the team.Last week she stood before property owners, many of whom expressed concern about whether their values have increased, largely due to a perceived drop in the market. But not so in North East, according to Johnson.“I tried to explain that looking at just the sales in North East and the surrounding area, we’re not seeing the market declining,” she said. “People keep saying they’re seeing the market decrease by 30 percent and we’re not seeing that. We’re seeing it leveling off and some increases.”Johnson said since the public hearing her office has mailed off the new assessments and is now waiting for property owners’ responses. By and large she said she is “cautiously concerned” with what she will hear. “Everybody wants to know what it’s going to do to their taxes, and as much as I would like to answer that, I can’t because I don’t set the tax rate,” Johnson said. “I merely assess properties, so people need to focus on the value of their homes, not what their taxes are going to be. That’s something I can have a conversation about.”Property owner Amiee Duncan said she and her husband, Frank, received a shock when they opened their assessment on Thursday, March 31. Among their three properties (two residential and one mixed commercial and residential), a residence on Winchell Mountain, which they own and lease to renters, jumped in value 23.54 percent.“It was like, wow, I was a bit surprised,” Duncan said. “I really need to talk to the assessor’s office, but I want to do some research before I complain. My initial shock is still here, and I wouldn’t want to be in the assessor’s shoes, but given the economy I can’t understand how my property went up 23 percent. I guess in some way I should be thankful it’s worth that much, but still …”Duncan’s home increased in value 2 percent, and the couple’s mixed-use property on Century Boulevard increased by .66 percent.“The other two properties were not bad, but the other is alarming considering the economy,” she said, conceding that perhaps the assessment could be correct. “I’m going to do some research, but if I can’t find a comparable property there might be nothing I can do about it. And maybe I am wrong and underestimating the value of the property.”Overall, the assessor said the town experienced an 8 percent increase in value, which is not from last year but from the time of the last reval (which was conducted in 2004 but last updated in 2006). Johnson said when taken in context, that’s not bad.“So that’s five years of changes reflected in 8 percent,” she said. “I don’t think that’s bad, especially when in 2006 you were seeing a 12 percent increase annually.”Johnson added the 8 percent also includes the cost of new construction and all of the data discovered by her office that was previously missing. That data was assessed and added to the roll, adding value to the town.“I can’t say that every single house increased 8 percent,” she said. “But of the 1,896 total properties, everybody did get a new value.”Once property owners receive their values in the mail they are advised to review them closely. Property owners can make appointments to speak with representatives from from Equitable Assessments (who helped conduct the reval) to review their data through April 14. If there is an error, the issue will then go before the assessor for review; Johnson will be available until May 24, the day before Grievance Day, to speak with concerned property owners. Johnson recommends taking advantage of this process as there will be time for a discussion and review, rather than waiting until Grievance Day to lodge a complaint with the Grievance Board. On Grievance Day there is only a decision rendered, but no feedback. To schedule an appointment at Town Hall, call 866-255-9753.