County Legislator Mike Lane looks poised to deliver on one of his key campaign issues, the need for a three-year cycle on assessments to reduce the annual shocks. This morning's Journal reports that the legislature will hold a public hearing and possible vote later this month. Why now?
Vice Chairman Mike Lane, D-Dryden, said he is starting the process because enough legislators agree the county should make a switch, and the Assessment Department has said if a switch is made, it should be done for 2006, not 2007.
He added that the spiking real estate market in recent years and the assessment grievance process have turned the public against having annual assessments.
Some legislators believe annual assessments allow the county to distribute the tax burden equally, but it appears enough votes exist to change the process.
If this passes, then:
there will still be reassessments every year, but only in certain spots of the county where there is a lot of activity. The assessments must also be of uniform value, so all properties will be assessed at 90 percent of value instead of 100 like they are now, she added.
In other Dryden news, 20 firefighters contained and put out a fire on the TC3 campus, and Wayne Arthur of Freeville writes to object to a possible increase in phone rates.
Posted by simon at December 5, 2005 8:18 AM in Ithaca Journal , emergency services , public finance , real estate