Today but it is indicative of how people who are average homeowners and taxpayers do not understand assessment value, market value, and taxes.   But the McTHIEF wants to appoint someone who has NEVER owned a home, NEVER paid property taxes, and has not one shred of background in property values to the assessor position.  She took care of the little kiddies at Union College and more recently had a job catering to the very rich.   God help the homeowners in the city.

A guy had an expert tell him how much his house is worth, which is some roughly $35,000 less than his assessment.   His house was assessed for $153,700.  Based on what he says experts said his house was worth, i.e., $119,000, his assessment should have been reduced to $146,370.  McThief's incompetent board of assessment reduced his assessment to $152,500.

First off, the homeowner obviously does not understand the difference between assessment value and market value.  They should be equal, but thanks to the ROTTEN DEM (oops, that sounds more like Rotterdam), LOUSY PATHETIC INCOMPETENT DEM leadership in the city, property values have fallen massively.  The homeowner I don't think understands the equalization rate, i.e., the city taxes you on a value in theory 23% above the market value.   Based on his real estate experts, his assessment should be reduced to $146,370.   Real estate experts tell him his house would sell for about $119,000 and he apparently didn't look at the final assessment roll where it says the market value of his house is $123,984.  Chances are, he could be reduced more, but he does truthfully write about the hoops one has to go through beyond the board of assessment, but then, that's a state law, not a local law.

Hopefully the writer did pursue SCAR level.

But see this is where the TOTAL INCOMPETENCE of the mayor and DEM city council members shows.  The council was very strangely silent at the committee meeting when Riggi got the citywide reassessment on the agenda to be discussed.   But the TOTALLY INCOMPTENT mayor is reluctant "until property values stabilize" he says.   Gee, the FACT is, and the EVIDENCE PROVES that values are NOT going to stabilize -- not as long as the dems keep up with their stealing of taxpayers' money to for their wild uncontrolled spending spree on downtown and forcing the financially struggling homeowners to pay for the property taxes of the millionaires and also the political crony tax deadbeats.

But the writer is correct that a citywide reassessment MUST take place.   Obviously in his area, on the border of Colonie and Niskayuna, property values have not fallen as much.  But in MP for example, they have fallen probably 50%, maybe more.  And we have all seen how the beautiful houses on all those streets by The Plaza, are taking a year or more to sell, and they are getting close to a market value of 50% less than in 2010, great example is that house on Glenwood that the mayor tried to feature, assessed for $182,000, last asking price $107,000 and since there were no buyers at $107,000 that proves that the house is worth less than that, but the city claims the market value of that house is just shy of $148,000.   HOW can the INCOMPETENT mayor claim that this is NOT a time to do a citywide reassessment when a house the city claims is worth $148,000 has not sold for even $107,000 after a year and half listed for sale?

Since the last citywide reassessment, (done in 2009 and first impacting tax bills for calendar year 2010), home values under the DEMS have fallen massively, but not at the same percentage in all the neighborhoods.  Further some owners grieved in 210 (and won) and some didn't.  In 2011, more owners grieved and won, and some didn't, and even probably some who grieved and won in 2010 did so again in 2011 and won.  And this grievance process has continued every year.  

Of course, have you noticed how the usual "hush hush, keep it a secret" DEM leadership has NOT ONCE informed the taxpayers how many grievances were filed each year.   Back in the republican days, they reported it faithfully every year when the roll was getting out of whack.

But clearly, with the market values falling (in EVERY neighborhood INCLUDING downtown), but falling in different percentages, and varying numbers of residential homeowners, some lose and don't go to SCAR, some lose and DO go to SCAR, and actually some lose at the board level but file for SCAR and the assessor knows damn well that the city is going to lose with the hearing officer so the assessor would contact people and say "drop your SCAR appeal and we will lower you."  For example if someone who is assessed for $100,000 requests a reduction to $70,000, the board says no reduction, they file with SCAR and the assessor, scared, knowing that the city will lose, would contact the owner before the SCAR hearing date or catch the owner at the hearing before they go before the hearing officer, and the assessor might say "drop your SCAR and we'll reduce your assessment to $85,00," and some people accept that, other's don't (not sure if offer from the assessor is legal under state law, might have to check sometime.

Between the various neighborhoods and some homeowners grieving and others don't and on top of that the other proof of massively falling property values (under the lousy DEM leadership) via all the endless successful certiorari lawsuits against the city, it is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY that the mayor immediately commence a citywide reassessment.   Personally, he should not even wait until next year.  

But McTHIEF says he MIGHT put it in the budget, but who here thinks that's just to get people to shut up until budget time, then his proposed budget will not have a reval in it?

Hey, the fact is that the city would have the money for a reassessment IF the DEM mayor would make the downtown millionaires pay taxes, their FULL taxes, NOT the puny small percentage pilots.

True, the DEMS are NEVER going to reduce spending, but this INCOMPETENT MAYOR needs to learn that maintaining the assessment roll correctly is an ESSENTIAL NECESSARY SERVICE (while STUPID FANCY LIGHTING on Erie Blvd is not necessary in the least),   But of course, the incompetent dem mayor and dem council have cut ESSENTIAL SERVICES to the taxpayers such as cutting the maintenance of the assessment roll, while adding some stupid UNNECESSARY fancy light poles to Erie Blvd which does NOTHING WHATSOEVER for the homeowners.

But a reassessment is an ABSOULUTE NECESSITY NOW to insure that all property owners pay taxes based on the value of their property and NOT on some arbitrary numbers out of the days of the mayor of BS.