AUBURN - The city's total taxable assessed value increased from approximately $640 million to $790 million after this year's city-wide revaluation.

Properties on the city's east end and ranch homes on the south end seemed to see the most appreciation in market value over the course of the last few years, and thus larger increases in assessments, said city assessor Sue Chandler, who gave an update at Thursday's Auburn City Council meeting.

“The values aren't made up, it's just derived from the market,” Chandler said, noting in the fall of 2002, the housing market took off and has continued to appreciate.

Mayor Tim Lattimore questioned whether it would be better to change a council decision in 1994 to re-assess every four years, because he was concerned the housing market would begin to depreciate soon and he didn't want the higher values to be locked in. Chandler said the housing market hasn't seemed to slow yet.

Councilor David Dempsey asked Chandler to clarify why it would be best to accept the new assessments now rather than waiting two years as some have suggested. Chandler said, since the market is continuing to appreciate, the increases in assessments two years from now could be even greater.

The city's assessment office used more than 800 recent sales to get a handle on what properties have been selling at recently - the intention of the re-assessment is to set assessed values equal to market values of the properties.

When assessing a property, Chandler said the office looked at five comparable home sales in similar neighborhoods and then used a model to address for any structural differences.

Also Thursday, the council considered a suggestion by councilor Matt Smith to provide exemptions for small businesses from some of the city's zoning standards requiring those with parking lots exceeding seven spaces to install landscaping if they re-pave.

Steve Lynch, director of the office of planning and economic development, urged the council not to change what he said was a good land-use policy. Smith proposed the exemptions because he said small businesses were having trouble affording the requirements. Lynch said the planning board is flexible in working with businesses so they can comply.

“There is a minimum community standard and I think that is necessary. If the council tries to reduce that standard, I think we're going to go backwards,” Lynch said. “To frame the issues as for or against development is not really relevant.”

The requirements are in place to improve overall aesthetics of a neighborhood, but are also in place for safety and drainage reasons.

Later in the meeting, county legislator Peter Tortorici, owner of Peter's New York Pizzeria on Standart Avenue, said if he had to comply with the requirements it would hurt his business because it would drastically cut down his parking lot.

“Green grass is great, but green money is better,” Tortorici said.

Smith suggested the city could provide tax exemptions for businesses upgrading their property through compliance with the zoning requirements. Councilor Thomas McNabb also suggested the city could implement a program similar to the revolving loan sidewalk or sewer programs, which help individual property owners replace that infrastructure.

The council will discuss suggestions in the coming weeks.

In other business:

. The council again tabled a resolution to allow skateboarding as a form of transportation anywhere in the city. A compromise suggested last week to pare down the no-skate zone also had no consensus. City manager John Salomone said the city could return with a few revised alterations to the no-skate zone because councilors had differing views on how large it should be.

Police chief Gary Giannotta said as it stands currently, the police are not able to enforce such a large no-skate zone.

“There's got to be a compromise,” he said. “We don't have the time to chase skateboarders throughout the city.”

McNabb doesn't believe it's being enforced, saying he's seen police cars drive past skateboarders in the zone without addressing them. Dempsey said he wanted to meet with Giannotta and solicit input from skateboarders before making a decision.

. Walt Aikman, of Grow Auburn's Trees, proposed the city require permits for individuals to trim trees, in response to recent tree trimming by NYSEG along Prospect Street and other areas that Aikman believes were “too aggressive.” The cities of Syracuse and Ithaca both already require permits. The permit system would hold individuals to certain standards for trimming trees.

. Lattimore proposed changing the day of the meetings to earlier in the week, because he believed the council and city staff would be able to get more done.

Staff writer Anne Gleason can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or at anne.gleason@lee.net.