NORWICH – The county Board of Supervisors narrowly passed a resolution Monday to take part in a state program next year to study reforming the current property tax assessment system locally.
The 13-10 vote came unexpectedly following a motion from the floor by Smyrna Supervisor James Bays. Previously, county lawmakers at the committee level had opted out of taking part in the program.
According to the state Office of Real Property Tax Service, the study – paid for through a $50,000 grant administered by that agency – should examine creating some sort of a county-wide assessment system in an effort to make assessments fair, efficient and less confusing.
This year, 41 counties will receive grants of $50,000 to study collaborative approaches to local assessing. Another 31 will receive grants of $50,000 to study and implement a countywide database for tax collection and enforcement information. Neighboring Broome, Cortland, Madison and Otsego counties were awarded portions of $3.6 million of the grant opportunities.
Chenango County was one of a handful of counties state-wide that declined taking part.
“The intent of the grant program is for counties to chart their own paths to reform,” states a press release on the state tax department’s web site. “The program does not presuppose a one-size-fits-all approach to such improvements. By analyzing the particulars of their county, local officials can determine what will work best for their taxpayers and the taxing jurisdictions, alike.”
Bays said the grant seems like an opportunity “to see if we can’t do all we can do” to fix what local and state officials are calling a broken tax system. To opt out “implies that everything is fine – when it isn’t,” Bays added.
Recently, Coventry Supervisor Janice O’Shea also sent out a letter questioning why members of the board had not considered taking part in the study.
Opponents of the program, like county Treasurer William Evans, Oxford Supervisor Lawrence Wilcox and Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown, are skeptical of receiving help from Albany, feeling there would be a loss of home rule and that strings would be attached to the grant money.
“I don’t trust the New York state Office of Real Property Tax Service as far as I can throw this building,” said Brown. Brown believes Albany’s methods would blanket the county with unfair market value-based assessments, and remove the rights of local assessors, who have a feel for what’s fair and equitable.
Greene Supervisor Jack T. Cook, however, said his town applied and received the grant money last year, and has since been able to upgrade its office and systems to be fully on-line.
“The money is out there,” Cook said. “It’s up to this board to go out and get it – not the treasurer’s office to deny it.”
The application for this year’s round of funding is due July 1, according to state tax office and the study must include at least one form of countywide assessing.
City of Norwich Supervisor Linda Natoli and German Supervisor Richard Schlag voted against applying for the state grant because they were confused about the time frame of when it would be applied for, and what the specifications of the grant actually are.
“I had a feeling we really need to explore it,” said Natoli. “However, it needed to go back to committee so we know what we’re working with.”
Several proponents of the study are not sure they support county-wide assessment, but have said they think options for changes need to be examined.
“That’s exactly what this (grant) is for,” said Bays.
Property taxes in New York State are among the highest in the nation and the property tax system is notoriously complex. There are 1,128 different government entities providing assessments for taxpayers, compared to a national median of 85. In addition, New York is one of only three states that lacks statewide uniform assessment standards.