Taxes in Seward and Carlisle––and to some extent, Sharon––will rise because of a disagreement in equalization rates, according to supervisors in those towns.
Susan Crosby, the assessor in those towns until this week, didn’t negotiate with the state to get a more favorable rate, in effect raising taxes, according to the supervisors.
“Unfortunately, we’re getting hit with a higher tax rate,” said Carlisle Supervisor John Leavitt.
The issue affects Cobleskill-Richmondville tax bills most directly, and will probably have an impact on county tax bills.
School district tax bills arrived in September, and people “are seeing their taxes go up $900, $400, $300, and it’s all a result of that equalization rate,” Mr. Leavitt said.
Lisa Thom, director of the Schoharie County Real Property Tax Office, explained that early in the year, the state sends to assessors an equalization rate, which is intended to level taxes across towns in school districts and counties.
Assessors can counter with their own equalization rate, and the assessor and the state Office of Real Property can settle on an agreement on their rate, Ms. Thom said.
In Ms. Crosby’s case, her rate was more favorable to the three towns; the state’s, less so. Yet Ms. Crosby apparently never sought to negotiate a new rate, and the towns were stuck with the state’s figure.
Ms. Thom said the state official who works with local towns is usually open to re-examine the analysis if the assessor presents documentation to defend her numbers, but Ms. Crosby didn’t take that step.
“The state’s rate takes effect unless she appeals,” said Seward’s John Bates. “I do not believe she did.”
“It’s a big error,” said Sharon Supervisor Sandy Manko.
But Ms. Crosby said she felt the state would stick by its equalization rate, which was based on high-end sales. Those sales would drive down the equalization rate and in turn raise taxes.
Sharon taxpayers won’t be affected as much as those in Carlisle and Seward because few properties lie in the Cobleskill-Richmondville School District, but most of Seward and Carlisle are in the district.
“We’ve talked to property owners, and it has been a big increase in school taxes,” Ms. Thom said.
“It’s horrible, especially for people on fixed incomes.”
Those taxes may rise anywhere from six to 10 percent in Seward and Carlisle, Mr. Bates and Mr. Leavitt estimated.
And although the county 2020 budget isn’t in place yet, taxpayers in all three towns will likely see an increase there because of the rate issue.
There’s also no way to correct the error, at least this year, the three supervisors agreed.
Sharon, Seward and Carlisle are in a Coordinated Assessment Program, meaning they share the same assessor. None of the three towns are re-appointing Ms. Crosby, whose term expired Monday.
“It’s more than this one issue,” Mr. Bates said. “She wouldn’t communicate with people, return phone calls.”
Ms. Crosby blamed politics.
“It definitely was not the right fit,” she said of her role as assessor.
“I hope the next assessor gets things done better than I could.”