2001

Tax Time Again

It’s that time of year again. Yes, our taxes will soon be due. It’s inevitable, and most of us will just grumble and pay them. If you were one of those people who didn’t take the golden opportunity to ask our tax assessor questions last May, then you probably don’t know about “Section 510” of the Real Property Tax Law. What is Section 510? Well, it’s a series of laws from New York State. Basically this gives the town, counties and school districts the right to levy taxes against landowners, according to their budgets. If, for instance, a town budget is passed for X amount of dollars, then the state is giving permission to that town to tax the land owners that amount.

The assessor explained to me that information on the sale of all properties is put into a computer. Then the four most comparable subject parcels, those that are most similar to the one being assessed in that area, are averaged. This average is the basis of how your property is evaluated. Any acreage that goes with the house is evaluated on the basis of what the land around you is selling for. The outbuildings, (garages, barns, sheds, etc.) are evaluated based on what it would cost to rebuild or replace that structure per square foot. Dividing that by 50% and then add that to the tax assessment.

Prior assessments were done based on a percentage of 100%. So when we were told we were going to be assessed at 100%, it shocked most of us! It doesn’t mean our taxes literally have been raised 100%! In actuality, it is only a percentage of 100%, the same as in years past, but the taxpayer has been spared the mathematics of figuring this percentage. We then end up with the bottom number, or the evaluation of our property.

Each property has an “evaluation sheet” which is available for taxpayers to see. This sheet will tell what properties they were compared to and how their assessment was determined. There are also numerous pamphlets available to you that will help you understand the taxing system from the STAR program, to Farm Building Exemptions, to the Property Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. If you care to know more about your tax assessment, you should take the opportunity to talk to the tax assessor next May when he will again give us his time. In the meantime, if you have any questions, you can call our assessor, Dwayne Aylor, at 567-4767. He will be more than happy to answer and explain any questions you may have about how your taxes are determined.

Back to Archives Page