to come before tax caps

In 1974, I was a member of the Cayuga County Citizens Lobby's Task Force. (At the time I was a real estate broker who had also passed the NYS assessor's exam.) Dr. Shelby Harris, an economics professor, was also a member of that task force.

The CCCL did an in-depth study of property assessments in Auburn. Our “findings” were presented to the city and a year later the report was acknowledged by corporate counsel to be “accurate in its entirety.” (What we discovered were numerous properties that were under-assessed.) After turning our report over to the state, Auburn was required to reassess its properties.

Most property owners are aware that there are a number of factors which increase the value of their home (i.e. improvements, additions, etc.) However, location of the property can be the biggest factor. (Typically homes in the east end and on the lake increment in value the fastest.)

The homeowner is usually aware of the value of their home. Most know that the assessment - by law - should be “based on 100 percent of the market value.” Therefore, the question that homeowners need to ask themselves is: “Would I sell my home for what it is assessed for?” If the answer is, “yes” ... then chances are it is correctly assessed. However, if the answer is, “no” ... usually it's because they know it's worth more. Therein lies the reason for a reassessment.

A recent look at the assessment rolls in the city and county indicates a definite need for some increases ... mostly in the areas where our task force discovered inequities before.

Therefore, before any “tax cap” referendum is passed ... there is a dire need to have those properties reassessed that are under-assessed. If this is not done, taxpayers who own property that is fairly assessed will be paying more than the ones who are under-assessed.

Joyce Hackett Smith-Moore

Moravia