By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- Assessments on 165 non-waterfront properties in the Proctor Avenue area will rise by roughly $1.85 million, after residents in the area challenged their assessments for a total reduction of $669,000.

“In the revaluation area there were nearly $669,000 in reductions issued to property owners through stipulations with the assessor or grievances filed with the Board of Assessment Review. All of the assessment determination letters were mailed out on July 21. The first tax cycle that the new assessments will be used is on the September school taxes,” City manager Sara Purdy said in public update to the council.

In May the assessor announced assessments on the properties would increase by $2.5 million. That drew attention from many residents who were hardest hit by the revaluation. Some reported their assessments rising by as much as 70 percent or more than $50,000.

Assessor Bruce Green said the assessments on the non-waterfront properties in the neighborhood were assessed far below recent selling prices. He said that 24 sales occurred in the neighborhood over the last three years.

In May Green said average assessments in the area rose 17.5 percent.

Green said about 30 parcels saw no change or went down. Most houses in the area are now in the $120,000 to $180,000 range, according to Green.

That led the majority of property owners facing hikes to meet with the assessor and the assessment review committee, more commonly referred to as the grievance board.

More than 40 residents were estimated to have met with the assessor prior to the grievance process, while an additional 37 went before the committee.

Of the 37 that filed grievances, 29 saw their assessments reduced.

The massive rise in assessments on such as small number of properties prompted outrage from many homeowners in the area. At early meetings some residents questioned if the amount assessments could be raised in a given year could be capped, so that residents weren’t hit with volatile jumps in their tax bills.

However, City Attorney Andrew Silver said any such laws enacted by the council would not be implemented this year. He said because the tentative roll is set, the city’s hands are tied until next year.

Silver said if no resolution is found during the grievance process, property owners can then take legal action. However, he said they must attend the grievance meeting prior to doing so.

It is unclear at this time if any property owners plan to fight their assessments in court.