I have come to the conclusion that GAR Associates assumed we, Kingston property owners, were actually in Westchester County.
The long drive from Rochester must have given them the illusion that Manhattan was just a few miles further down the thruway.
Every property owner that I have spoken to has the same impression that their property was assessed at 20 – 30% higher than any imagined selling price for this area. Thus…we must be in Westchester County.
The long drive from Rochester must have given them the illusion that Manhattan was just a few miles further down the thruway.
Every property owner that I have spoken to has the same impression that their property was assessed at 20 – 30% higher than any imagined selling price for this area. Thus…we must be in Westchester County.
Below is the no-brainer re-assessment flow chart. I suspect this was not the case in Kingston.
I will ask that the council consider a mandate that the assessor’s office decrease all of the property assessments by 30%. Not including the successful grievances. They would be included in the original category and start from there.
Once the fantasy numbers are eliminated and we get back to reality, we can discuss the incremental tax burden shift that I called for back in May. The lump transfer will not happen, if I can help it.
For years, the council set out to explain the “1/3 up, 1/3 down and 1/3 stay the same” concept, only to have the tax burden shift thrust into the equation. Every residential property ended up higher than we promised.
In time, the Common Council will sort this mess out, but until then, have patience with the process. Nothing sticks until the Council approves the changes and the Mayor signs it.
I will ask that the council consider a mandate that the assessor’s office decrease all of the property assessments by 30%. Not including the successful grievances. They would be included in the original category and start from there.Once the fantasy numbers are eliminated and we get back to reality, we can discuss the incremental tax burden shift that I called for back in May. The lump transfer will not happen, if I can help it.
For years, the council set out to explain the “1/3 up, 1/3 down and 1/3 stay the same” concept, only to have the tax burden shift thrust into the equation. Every residential property ended up higher than we promised.
In time, the Common Council will sort this mess out, but until then, have patience with the process. Nothing sticks until the Council approves the changes and the Mayor signs it.
10 comments:
This topic have a tendency to become boring but with your creativeness its great.
Imagine a fair assessment.
Imagine peace in our lifetime.
Both are worth fighting for, neither will happen.
I have never seen so many FOR SALE signs in Kingston before. The combination of the burden shift, the reval and the economic downturn has killed the upstate new york dream. I may sell too, but where would I go?
Leave it to you to point out the obvious on a blog. The whole city is about to run the mayor out of town because of this bulls**t.
Those of us who take it on the chin year after year are finally at the breaking point. Do something.
I voted for Sottile and I regret it. I should have voted for Cahill.
Alderman Mike: Creativity on an important subject so vital to our pocletbooks. I guess in the good ole days of Hugh Reynolds at the Daily Free you would finally be getting your due. Somehow or other, people have become the proverbial sheep and tend not to scream, yell, rant or rave at the values that have been submitted. Part of it is that we love to believe that our properties are really valued at the current rates. Yet, try to sell them. The real estate values might be at the bottom of the bubble and slowly tending to move upwards. The however in this discussion or debate is that inflation will subject the value to where it might belong. Having said that, inflation vs deflation vs the price of milk and the price of gasoline. Although milk at 4.00 a gallon and gasoline at 15-20cents higher, than it must be stated that we can buy one gallon of Channel # 5 for $48,000.00. So why are people complaining- oh well- just my three cents
take care,
Shelly Z- the meanderer
Youre gonna have a tough sell to the rest of the aldermonkeys when many of them answer to the mayor.
Best of luck.
We have for twenty plus years paid Sottile's campaign Treasurer as a full time assessor with staff who is unable to update assessments like trained assessor's do in every other municipality.
Then we hire outside professional's to do the job that we have an assessor for at
$ 500,000 and now we are getting tied into a contract with GAR again who may have treated our Mayor to some food and drinks and campaign contributions to do what is free from the State?
What a silly Mayor and taxpayers and voters.
seems odd to me that Sottile thinks that the values of properties in Kingston would change enough to warrant a re-val each and every year. I certainly do not believe that it would.
By the way, for those who believe that the values would go down - across the board - where do you think that Sottile will find tax money to pay for the tax levy short fall?
Doesnt work that way. The 33 mil budget will still be the 33 mil budget after we accept any kind of assessment change.
Taxes and revenue levels are unaffected whether the assessments go up or down.
Non-question.
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