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The Government Operations Committee of the County Legislature today recommended that the county return to an annual property valuation cycle for the upcoming assessment year.

By a vote of 4-1, with Legislator Mike Sigler dissenting, the committee recommended that the Legislature rescind the resolution adopted in 2006 that approved full-value assessment every three years and direct that all properties “be valued at a uniform percentage of fair market value and reviewed by the professional appraisal staff of the Department of Assessment at one-year time intervals.”

In a written statement prepared for the committee, Assessment Director Valeria Coggin called an annual reassessment program “the most logical choice for Tompkins County…which provides equity, transparency, and the most easily understandable form of assessment for property owners.  In addition, it will provide the County with $150,000 annual aid from the state, which cannot be ignored during harsh and unstable economic times.”

Even if the County continues with a triennial assessment cycle, the director indicated the level could remain at 100 percent for the first year, requiring  the same number of adjustments as in an annual assessment program – essentially the same amount of work for her office, without state maintenance aid.

Both committee chair Mike Hattery and director Coggin called the triennial system “confusing” for property owners.  Legislator Pam Mackesey had supported adoption of the three-year assessment cycle before, but said that, now that the huge rates of increase in property values have calmed, she sees annual reassessment as much fairer for property owners.  Chairman Hattery maintained that the problem of rapidly rising assessments should be dealt with through a remedy other than a triennial assessment system.

Lansing legislator Mike Sigler, who voted against the change, stated that a number of his constituents favor the current system and said he wants to hear more comments from property owners at his town’s assessment review hearing later this month.  While he voted in favor at the committee level to move the issue on to the full Legislature, committee member Greg Stevenson could not guarantee his support at an ultimate final vote, since he also has heard citizen sentiment supporting the three-year cycle.  Stevenson asked that more information be provided to the public on why the return to an annual assessment program makes sense.

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