Town Board Update 2.4.22
Timeline for Revaluation/Reassessment on Town Properties
Property owners will receive a preliminary revaluation value on their property beginning in early March. If the assessment is not consistent with the owner's information, they can provide additional information to request a review with the Town Assessor, and may file a formal grievance to challenge the final assessed value. Columbia County Real Property representative Suzanne Booy joined Town Assessor Kimberly Smith in explaining the process at the town board meeting on 2/3/2022. They said:
Letters of preliminary assessments will be sent out on March 1, 2022.
Parcel/property owners who disagree with their preliminary assessment may schedule an Appointment for Informal Review with the Assessor's office during the period of March 1-25 by calling Columbia County Real Property 518-828-7334. At that time the owner will state their opinion of value and supply supporting documentation.
During April 2022, the Assessor will review informal information provided by parcel owner and makes changes if needed.
On May 1, the tentative assessment roll is made public. All parcel owners who attended informal review will receive a new notice of assessment, even if there was NO change from the preliminary assessment.
Any parcel owner who disagrees with their tentative assessed value can file a formal Grievance to be heard on Grievance Day, May 31.
More information from the Assessor's office is available HERE.
In other news:
The board is working on recruiting and choosing community members to serve on various Citizen Advisory committees. The discussion on a proposed amendment to the process for recruiting and choosing citizens for these openings raised several concerns, including the role of the town supervisor on committees and a request that the board be afforded information on recommended committee members.
The process stipulates that a committee that is seeking new members will post the opening, interview candidates, and make a recommendation to the full board for approval. It also stipulates that all committees must post agendas, minutes, and allow public comment. The amended protocol will be presented and voted on at an upcoming meeting.
At the request of newly elected Town Board member Rick Werwaiss, the board heard from Councilwoman Abi Mesick about her 2021 resignation announcement, which resulted in posting of an anticipated vacancy and interviewing potential candidates to replace her. Subsequently, Ms. Mesick didn’t resign but didn’t formally state a change in her plans.
She clarified at the meeting that she had intended to resign due to health issues, but subsequently decided not to do so. She declined to give any further details.
In public comment at the end of the meeting, former Town Board member John Wapner commented that that board had not been "transparent" about the circumstances of this situation.