By LOHR McKINSTRY
Staff Writer
May 10, 2008 04:00 am
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ELIZABETHTOWN -- Essex County lawmakers say they have mixed feelings about accepting a state grant to study countywide assessing.
The County Board of Supervisors was OK with taking $25,000 to have the County Information Systems Department study the feasibility of countywide tax collection.
But accepting a second $25,000 to have the County Real Property Tax Service go to bid for an analysis of starting a countywide assessing program wasn't met with as much enthusiasm.
The money from the State Office of Real Property Tax Services would pay for the county to study the transfer of assessment duties from individual towns to the county.
While the state would advocate such a switch, Supervisor Dale French (R-Crown Point) would not.
"They (the state) have done away with our local town control of voting; they want to get away from justice courts, and it is going to be regional next.
"I don't think we should accept it (the grant). I don't think we should do it. The study is going to say you should consolidate."
State Office of Real Property officials visited the county earlier this year and offered the grants.
"The plan is to have an outside firm to come in and do an analysis of the way assessment is done, because the state is pushing for countywide assessing," County Real Property Tax Service Director Bernard Roy said.
Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava (R-Moriah) said he believes state officials really have something different in mind, so he'd rather skip the study and reject the grant.
"Obviously what their goal is is to do away with any local assessing units and have a countywide assessing unit."
That would probably be followed by the state eventually taking over all assessing, Scozzafava said.
"Right now, the Town of Moriah, for the last two years, we have come in at less than 100 percent (of full value assessments). We take the sales in the Town of Moriah and come out at 114 percent and 117 percent (in 2006 and 2007). They (the state) come in at 92 percent and 87 percent, because they are taking sales outside of the area."
The state then penalizes the town with an equalization rate that reduces STAR, senior and veterans exemptions, he said.
Roy said the state has divided Essex County into three areas for assessing purposes.
"It is done by market area. There are three market areas in this county: the northern region, the southern region and then you have North Elba and Keene."
The highest real-estate prices in the county are in the towns of North Elba and Keene.
Scozzafava said the whole assessment system devised by the state is flawed.
"We are being penalized (by the state). They are withholding our (assessment) maintenance and aid, and now they are offering us this $50,000. The bottom line here is their goal is to do away with local assessing, which is just another erosion of our local government. I think we should tell the state of New York, Keep your $50,000.'"
Roy said he believes the study could be helpful.
"The study is not mandated that you accept it. It is just to do a study, and the state is giving money to do that."
In the end, the board voted to take the grant by a weighted vote of 1,964 to 698. Supervisors French, Scozzafava, William Ferebee (R-Keene) and Randy Preston (I-Wilmington) voted no.
lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
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