Assessment Information

As the Sole Assessor I am a State Certified Town Official who obtained certification from NYS by attending approved training classes and successfully completing the testing at the end of each session.  I must also attend yearly training of at least 24 hrs. for continuing education credits.  My foremost job as the assessor is valuing the real property within the Town.  The inventory of the real property in Town is kept on property record cards (PRC).  The information is also entered on the personal computer and maintained in a software program licensed by the State Office of Real Property Services (ORPS).  Each year a new assessment roll is prepared and is used by various taxing jurisdictions (town, county, schools) to levy real property taxes.

I also have the duties of administering real property exemptions.  Each year renewals for Senior Exemption RP467, Enhanced Star, and Agriculture exemptions are mailed out to be returned to the assessor's office on or before March 1^st with the required data needed for filing.  Also each year any new exemptions are collected, due on or before March 1^st .  Each of these exemptions must be reviewed, approved, and entered on the computer data file for the assessment roll being prepared for that year.  Once the new Tentative Assessment Roll is prepared (May 1^st ) Notice of Change must be mailed to any taxpayer whose assessment has been changed that year.  Hours are posted when the assessor will be available to discuss these changes with anyone who wishes to do so.  Grievance Day is the 4^th Wednesday of May each year for the Town of Steuben, where a taxpayer can come in to grieve his or her assessment to the Board of Assessment Review.  The Assessor attends these sessions and provide any information needed (property record cards with inventory, pictures, building permits, calculations of improvements, sales comparisons, etc.) to help the BAR to understand how the assessment was determined.  Any changes made by the BAR are processed and entered on the computer file which is sent to the County in preparation of the printing of the Final Assessment Roll July 1^st of each year.  The Assessor represents the Town at Small Claim Hearings to provide documentation to support the assessed value to the Hearing Officer.  The Assessor also works with the Town Attorney to prepare for and represent the Town in any Certiorari Cases that arise from the assessment roll. 

Other duties of the Assessor are to keep a watchful eye on the equalization rate, the residential assessment ration, and the co-efficient of dispersion.  Along with maintaining an equitable assessment roll these things are accomplished by watching and reporting on the sales information that comes in to office each month in the form of RP5217 which are file with every deed at the Oneida County Clerk's.  The information on these forms must be reviewed, corrected if needed, and entered on the RPS system.  The forms give the names of the new owners and the price paid for the property plus and conditions of the Sale.  They are sometimes the records of splits of property from larger parcels.  Quarterly reports must be sent to the Sales Review Division at ORPS in Albany to compile a list of usable sales.  The current equalization rate for the Town of Steuben is 100%.  This is calculated yearly by the State Office of Real Property Services and is like a report card to the Town on how current local real estate market sales are comparing to the assessment.