Nine questions about a proposal by Reggie Crowley that could cause you as much as $10,000 or more in the next decade.
Q. What's the proposal?
A. Reggie would like to replace the current system whereby the voters select three assessors with one in which current Republican board majority can appointed a single assessor.
Q. When will he try to do this?
A. At 8:30 AM, Sat., Sept. 11 at the board meeting.
Q. Why does he want to do this?
A. Crowley says that having a sole appointed assessor will somehow take politics out of the assessment process. He claims that he wants to keep the appointment nonpolitical by involving the office of real property services in Hudson in the selection process, an office headed by a Republican!
Q. What's wrong with that?
A. The process whereby a board majority (by virtue of one vote) undoes the decisions of the electorate can hardly be described as non political. The Republicans last two candidates for the assessor's office lost to the Democrats candidates. So they're simply trying to increase Republican power by going through a backdoor. In addition, the proposal is a diversion from making real reforms such as doing a town wide reevaluation that would treat everyone in the town fairly.
Q. Why can't Crowley's proposal that having a sole assessor will benefit the whole town, be taken at face value?
A. Crowley's record of appointments does not inspire confidence. He says he wants to have an outside agency involved in the selection process. What he doesn't mention is that that agency is headed by a Republican. Also, last January he shut out the public from commenting before the Republican majority appointed a replacement for someone who had resigned from the assessor's office. In addition, the person appointed had a murky history which involved misappropriating insurance claims funds and failing to account for town monies that were in his hands. Such a record does not make one comfortable about the town board majority substituting it's judgment for the
Q. You argued that the town should NOT consider having a sole assessor. Are there any changes that the town SHOULD consider in regard to the assessor's office?
A. With cooperation from other towns, an appointed assessor's office --- a real nonpolitical one --- could be created to handle assessments of all of the towns that pay taxes to the Taconic Hills School District. That could eliminate unfair assessments and inequities resulting from different ways of calculating assessments on school taxes that currently exist from town to town.
Also Copake needs to do a total reevaluation. Hundreds of properties which have been in the same hands for several decades are under assessed, while many purchased in the last 10 years are over assessed. And finally, one can argue for creation of a countywide appointed assessor's office. If an assessor's office were established either for the towns that feed into the Taconic Hills School District or a countywide basis, the possibility would be to pay the assessor a full living salary rather than the relatively small salary that the chief assessor currently gets.
Reggie has shown no leadership in regard to these proposals. On the question of a town wide revaluation, he and some of his friends and colleagues clearly could be at a disadvantage because their properties have not been reassessed in decades. At least several town hall Republicans have houses which are assessed on a square foot basis significantly lower than dozens or scores of other residents who live in older and smaller houses than the well-connected people.
Q. What did you mean that Crowley's proposal because could cost me as much as $10,000 or more in the next decade?
A. Many town residents would receive significant reductions in taxes if reevaluation took place. The longer this is delayed, the more you may be overpaying your taxes.
Q. How can I try to stop Reggie Crowley from pushing through creation of a sole assessor in Copake?
A. Attend the Sat., Sept. 11 board meeting and/or send a letter to Reggie Crowley, with copies to Bob Sacks or Linda Gabaccia urging Reggie to drop his plan. Demand a town wide reevaluation. Your appearance at the board meeting is crucial. Faces and bodies have a bigger impact than letters.
Howard Blue
My name is Suzette Booy and I am the Director of the Columbia County Real Property Tax Service Agency. I would like to make a comment about this Blog regarding a Sole Assessor as it appears Mr. Blue/Mr. Sacks have referenced me in this particular Blog.
ReplyDeleteI have never discussed my political affiliation with Howard Blue, Bob Sacks, Reggie Crowley or any other Taxpayer, Supervisor or Employee for that matter and I am VERY disturbed by the fact that it is being referenced in this Blog. In the 19 years that I have worked in this office, I have never experienced anything like this.
I take my job VERY seriously and politics have no place in our Office and/or the Assessor's Office. People who know me are aware that I have NEVER hired someone in our Office based on their political affiliation. NEVER!!! And,in the past when I have been asked by Supervisors and Town Board Members about giving references for potential Assessors, I have NEVER based my references on the Assessors political affiliation!!!
If the Town of Copake passes a local law to switch to a Sole Assessor AND if the Town Board wants me to be involved with the interviewing process of potential Assessors, I will PROMISE you that my recommendations will NOT be based on the Assessor's political affiliation, but rather their ability to do the job!!!