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|
Real Property Services
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Press
Release |
For Release: Immediate – July 28,
2008 Contact: Geoffrey Gloak, Director of Public Information Phone: (518) 486-3418 |
Oswego County and Seventeen Municipalities
Receive Awards for Quality Assessing
The following Oswego County localities
have qualified for the New York State Office of Real Property Services’
(NYSORPS) 2008 Excellence in Equity Awards:
Municipality #
of Years Qualifying Since 1999
|
Town of Albion |
9 |
|
Town of Amboy |
2 |
|
Town of Boylston |
10 |
|
Town of Constantia |
2 |
|
City of Fulton |
9 |
|
Town of Granby |
4 |
|
Town of Hannibal |
7 |
|
Town of Hastings |
4 |
|
Town of Mexico |
4 |
|
Town of Minetto |
4 |
|
Town of New Haven |
2 |
|
Town of Orwell |
2 |
|
City of Oswego |
6 |
|
Town of Oswego |
1 |
|
Town of Richland |
3 |
|
Town of Sandy Creek |
6 |
|
Town of Scriba |
7 |
Each
of these municipalities qualified for 2008 awards by conducting a reassessment
that met state standards for equitable assessments.
Oswego
County also received an award acknowledging its support of municipal
reassessments in the county. More
than 70 percent of the municipalities in the county conducted reassessments in
2008.
NYSORPS Executive Director Lee
Kyriacou said, “These 17 municipalities are taking the necessary steps to
ensure that property owners are treated fairly. Reassessments are the best way to
ensure that each taxpayer pays no more or less than his fair share of taxes. Many of these municipalities are meeting
high standards for assessment administration by conducting reassessments
annually.”
“New York’s property
tax system is extraordinarily complex,” Mr. Kyriacou added. “As a result, many people do not
realize that, when reassessments are not done regularly, lower-valued homeowners
typically subsidize the tax bills of higher-valued homeowners. By adjusting assessments to reflect the
actual market value of properties, the system becomes more equitable and
transparent for all taxpayers.”
Mr. Kyriacou will present the
awards to local officials at today’s meeting of the Oswego County
Assessors’ Association. The
meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the Volney Town Hall. (Contact Oswego City Assessor Susan
Deary for more information at 315-342-8103.)
In addition to qualifying for
Excellence in Equity Awards, municipalities conducting reassessments may be
eligible to apply for State Aid for Quality Assessing. This program awards up to $5 per parcel
aid to qualifying municipalities and includes:
·
Annual
Aid for municipalities that commit to keeping all assessments at market value
for a six-year period. Up to $5 per
parcel is available each year.
·
Triennial
Aid for municipalities conducting a reassessment at market value without
committing to maintaining equity in subsequent years. Up to $5 per parcel is available no more
than once every three years.
Since the inception of Annual
Aid in 1999, Oswego County municipalities have received $1.13 million in State
Aid for Quality Assessing and received $184,000 last year alone.
This year, NYSORPS also offered
two grants of up to $50,000 each to counties to study their property tax
systems. The first grant was
available to study local assessment administration and determine ways to assess
all parcels in a county at 100%. The second grant was
available to study and implement a countywide tax collection database.
“Using state grants,
Oswego County is currently studying its property tax system to determine how to
provide its taxpayers with equitable, transparent and efficient assessment administration,”
Mr. Kyriacou said. “When
combined with 51 other counties doing similar studies, the results could have a
profound impact to improve the property tax system in our state.”
For additional information regarding assessment administration in New York State, please visit the NYSORPS webpage: www.orps.state.ny.us