Richmondville assessor resigns

11/12/2008

By Jim Poole

Changes are coming in the Richmondville property assessment feud.
The town board last week accepted the resignation of controversial Assessor Matt Richardson and also has two more vacancies to fill on the Board of Assessment Review.
Praised by some but under fire from many, Mr. Richardson wrote in his resignation that the “demands of my daily work load” plus the distance he lives from Richmondville “afford insufficient time to dedicate to the demands of the job.”
BAR members and residents criticized Mr. Richardson’s assessment practices and his unavailability this past spring in the long-running battle over taxes and assessments.
The issue stretches back several years to when Richmondville did a property re-evaluation.
Supervisor John Barlow said last week that the town attorney is looking into whether a new assessor must be appointed to a six-year term.
Advertising for a new assessor would come next, Mr. Barlow said, adding that the board may make an appointment in late December.
BAR Chair Marjorie Sperbeck said the town board should take its time to find the right person.
“They don’t need to jump right into it,” Ms. Sperbeck said. “They made a hasty decision last time.”
The BAR, which acts on assessment protests from landowners, has been at odds with the town board. Councilmen this fall appointed John Primeau to the BAR to take the seat of Horst Fierek, who was a frequent critic of the town board.
BAR members believed the Primeau appointment to be out of line because Mr. Primeau had criticized them for what he called “overstepping their bounds.”
Now, however, the town board has the duty to appoint two more members to the five-person BAR because there are two more vacancies.
BAR member Vern Hall was elected as a councilman to the town board last week, so he must resign from the BAR. Also, BAR member Ken Bailey moved to Ohio, so his seat is vacant.
Ms. Sperbeck said she had no candidates in mind, “but if I hear of any, I’ll pass the names along.”
The board will “try to come up with some names,” Mr. Barlow said.
“We’ve had a couple. We have to check them out,” he added.
Asked whether Mr. Fierek would be re-appointed, Mr. Barlow responded, “It all depends on what the board wants.”
Mr. Barlow also pointed out that the composition of the town board is changing. Councilman Dennis Handy is stepping down, and Dick Lape did not win re-election last week.
Although election results are unofficial, Scott Bennett will apparently join Mr. Hall as new councilmen on the town board.
In a related issue, Richmondville has rescheduled a workshop meeting for the town board and the BAR to discuss Mr. Primeau’s criticisms. The meeting is set for December 4, 7pm, at the RVES building.