Grieving your Assessment Join TOPTA Tonight Program on our blog

Copy and use Powerpoint

Welcome special guests-town board, county, village, assessors? The TOPTA Board of Directors
Tracey Haggett-Sloan -President---Julie Colbert-VP ---Mike Landoll-Public Relations--Ned Meader-Treasurer---Nancy Fykes -member at large-- Bruce Konkoski member at large ---Sandra Morris member at large

Fighting Back
Joseph Pacini He and his wife Supreme Court Won I have used some of the information in this book. $18.00 snail mail only. Watch our website

Rules of conduct for this meeting

Please hold personal questions-end
Ask anytime about subject on the screen.

Lot to cover. 45 Min-1 Hr. Your War stories/Mine at the end. Layman-no expert-not responsibleside effects Lets have a little fun tonight.

Grieving Assessments
How many grieved before? How many won? How many never grieved? How many feel fairly and equitably assessed?

What TOPTA is
TOPTA is not a radical anti-tax organization. We believe in fair and equitable property assessments and taxation for all property owners. We believe that elected and appointed officials should support fair and equitable assessment of all property. We support the education of all property owners such that they understand the assessment and property tax process.

Critical Yearly Dates

April 01-Public inventory-you can get copies of your assessment files-go get them. May 01-Tentative Roll filed w/county May01-From here on you can negotiate with the assessor BEFORE going to grievance. Fourth Tues. of May-Grievance Day-(one) July01-Final Roll must be filed/County July31-Last day to file a small claims assessment review. Watch out! 30 days after final roll filed. July 31- Last day to file supreme court Article 7. Potsdam revaluation 2013. Be aware.

Assessors Responsibilities per NYS Real Property Services

Must fairly and equitably assess all properties. Signs an oath of fair and equitable assessments when the final assessment roll is submitted. Board of Assessment Review (BAR) is not supposed to change an assessors numbers without documented reason.

Why Grieve?
Assessment Reduction $ 5,000.00 $ 10,000.00 $ 25,000.00 $ 50,000.00 $ 75,000.00 $100,000.00 $125,000.00 10 yr. savings 10 yr. out/ 2008 Village Village A-B $ 2,790.00 $ 1,874.00 37-132 $ 5,288.00 $ 3,700.00 $ 9,370.00 $ 18,740.00 $ 37,480.00
69-48 140-19 61-5

$ 13,220.00 $ 26,440.00 $ 39,660.00 $ 52,880.00 $ 66,100.00

$ 28,100.00 10-0
1-1slu

$ 46,850.00 1-0

What MUST you Grieve

Your ASSESSMENT only NOTHING ELSE COUNTS Not the tax rates per thousand Not your amount of $ of your taxes. Not your ability to pay. Not your on a fixed income. Not how long youve lived in the same house Not that you have to sell/cant afford it. ONLY THE AMOUNT OF YOUR PROPERTY ASSESSMENT.

BEFORE YOU GRIEVE

Get a copy of assessors files for YOUR property. Get them asap.-after tentative roll Do not grieve without looking at them first. Errors? Fair and equitable? Review each and every document, statement, and picture. Get copies. Get these tomorrow or the next day. You should have already done this. Save each years record for comparison. Start building a history. Keep a 20 yr. history.

Filing a FOIL
Town clerk-to look at others assessment files. County clerk State of New York

Still want to grieve?

Three Basic Approaches

Incorrectly Assessed
Faulty info-your files.

Excessive Assessment
More than actual market value

Unequally Assessed
Unequal assessment compared to similar properties. FOCUS ON THESE ONLY

The Harsh Realities

Assessor is supposedly highly trained and skilled in the job. Youre probably not. You are automatically at a disadvantage. Realize this and prepare or dont waste your time. The Assessor does this every day and you do it maybe once every three years, maybe never have before.

More Harsh Realities Some in your favor

Statistics- 40-60% have mistakes.
Grieving The Boss is Wrong But-

Dont be intimidated. Voice recorder and note pad Have written notes going in Dont be afraid to ask Tough questions-legal. Be factual. Be polite and state your case. Rude or unethical report immediately.

Excessive Assessment
Greater than Real Market Value? Get it appraised by one or two bank assessors do not accept no for an answer if they assess it for less than the assessor. $300.00
$10,000 difference =potential $5,500. savings/10yrs.

Incorrect Assessment
Document assessors files. Document the accurate facts vs. the incorrect data in his files. Incorrect property, building belongs to your neighbor and your paying, wrong square footage, lot size incorrect, attached vs. unattached garage, no black top. Bring the correct info with you. Should be indisputable.

Unequally Assessed?
Document, Document, Document You will have to compare assessments Your neighbor? Get tough or get out. You have a legal right to pay your fair share. NOTHING MORE OR LESS An honest assessor will not turn you against your neighbors. Unethical. Do not accept it. He/she will listen and adjust you accordingly or refuse you if the belief is the assessment is accurate.

Compare your Property

Pick two or three homes that you can reasonably determine are worth more than yours and assessed for less or the same as yours. Unequal Use the list we have available for a comparison and document each item listed. If you still feel over assessed then grieve. Based on comparing your data.

If the Assessor Refuses You

Meet with the Board of Assessment Review (BAR). Same data or any new data you find. Get there early. Sometime the BAR does not give much if the Assessor did not. There are exceptions to everything.

You can have a qualified bank Assessor for another opinion

Your options include getting two or more appraisals from qualified bank assessors to compare to the town assessment. (Excessive assessment) You can hire an attorney to represent younot mandatory If you still believe and the BAR says NO!!

Going to Court
If you were refused by the assessor and by the BARGo for a hearing in small claims court. MUST be filed no more than 30 days after the filing of the final assessment roll. AFTER final roll. Watch this. July 01. FILE YOUR PETITION IMMEDIATELY IF REFUSED BY THE BAR Data, data, data. Facts, details, and other testimony from witnesses if possible.

A Hearing on your assessment

Hire a lawyer or represent yourself Use sound data Present it in an organized manner and in writing. Remember 30 days no later. Do not be rude, be polite and represent the facts as you believe them to be. Results varysome win and some lose.

Dont have time this year?

Prepare THIS year and grieve NEXT year. You can grieve your assessment ANY YEAR but make sure you are prepared. Do not go in with out data and a honest commitment to win. Talk to us if you would like a presentation in your township.

Town of Potsdam Taxpayers Association Thanks you for attending

PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO COMPLETE THE PRESENTATION SURVEY. YOUR HELP IS APPRECIATED! Questions? Bruce is available for an hour or two to answer questions, hear your stories and share his!