Learn about why your taxes went up (or down) Nov. 2 and 12

CORNWALL — New property tax assessments have hit mailboxes. With these new assessments, the town’s Grand List of all taxable property in the town will drop in the next fiscal year by about 15 percent. The fiscal year begins July 1.A drop in the Grand List means many property values are dropping, some by as much as 40 percent. Some will rise. It’s all a manifestation of a fickle real estate market. Property sales are one key basis for determining value. The revaluation, which is being done by Assessor Barbara Bigos, will have a much different outcome than the one she completed four years ago. At that time, the Grand List doubled, which meant that property values went way up. Much of it was corrections made by Bigos, who sought a one-year extension in order to visit all 800 properties in Cornwall. Bigos had recently been hired as the town’s assessor and she found that the property lists hadn’t been fully updated.The town’s finances were on an even keel, so the Board of Finance responded to the increased Grand List by cutting the mill rate by nearly half (the mill rate this year is 12.5). It has remained that way since. But things are about to get complicated. Bigos will be a calming presence as the town moves forward. She is just as adept at explaining how she determines a property’s assessment as she is at doing it. Her approach is to open the doors of communication wide, and early, by inviting taxpayers with questions to meet with her, and by holding informational workshops (two are scheduled for next month).“Most assessors sign the Grand List in January, and then they send out notices,” Bigos said. “It’s perfectly legal, but if people have their assessments now, we have the time to straighten out any issues. I can go out while the weather is still good to recheck, if I have to. “And a little education goes a long way” toward calming property owners with concerns.Some towns hire independent contractors to do their revaulations but many have the town’s assessor perform the work, for a fee.Bigos’ in-house revaluation amounts to big savings to the town over using a specialized company. And, she said, a contracted company is gone once the job is done.“I answer to the townspeople, who pay my salary. I’ve come to know the town very well, and people are learning. We are educating each other, rather than having an adversarial relationship. But what it’s really about is that I care. I am passionate about my job and Cornwall.”Learning about assessments• Step 1: Anyone with questions about their new assessment, or anyone who wants to know more about how it all works, should go to one or both workshops on Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Town Hall.Free copies of individual field cards, which contain all pertinent property information, are available at the assessor’s office now, and at the workshops, where the focus will be on learning how to read the card.“Either you’ll go away realizing I’m right and not appeal, or you will still want to appeal, but will have learned how to speak productively with me,” Bigos said.• Step 2: Anyone who still has questions, or who could not attend a workshop should make an appointment to meet with Bigos. Appointments are essential, she said, to ensure sufficient time and a private, uninterrupted conversation.“I can and will make adjustments that are needed. We have until the end of January to sort it out.”• Step 3: Go to the Board of Assessment Appeals in March. Town boards will begin looking at the budget for the next fiscal year in late winter. The Grand List reduction will be a major concern. State and federal revenues are not expected to rebound anytime soon. The only other ways to cover expenses is to use surplus funds (savings) and boost the mill rate. The finance board has often taken the approach of combining the two.