Friday, October 30, 2026 | St. Lawrence County, NY
OGDENSBURG — Ampersand Ogdensburg Hydro LLC is asking St. Lawrence County Judge Mary Farley to overturn a $750,000 property assessment tied to its hydroelectric project on the Oswegatchie …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This WeekOGDENSBURG — Ampersand Ogdensburg Hydro LLC is asking St. Lawrence County Judge Mary Farley to overturn a $750,000 property assessment tied to its hydroelectric project on the Oswegatchie River.
The company filed a petition Aug. 7 in St. Lawrence County Supreme Court against the City of Ogdensburg, the city assessor and the Board of Assessment Review.
Ampersand operates the hydroelectric project on property owned by the city. The company holds an easement on the property, according to the court filing.
The dispute in question involves an 1987 agreement between the city and Trafalgar Power Inc. Under that agreement, Trafalgar was to complete and operate the hydroelectric project while the city retained ownership of the property.
The city later granted Trafalgar an easement to the property. Ampersand acquired Trafalgar's interest in the project in 2015.
Ampersand says that its easement does not give it a "taxable ownership interest" in the property. Despite that, the city assessed the property in Ampersand's name, according to the petition.
The 2026 assessment was set at $750,000 and was challenged, but the city's Board of Assessment Review did not change it, court documents say.
The company says that the assessment is unlawful because the city owns the property. It also claims the value of Ampersand's interest in the property is no more than zero dollars.
The Ogdensburg City School District notified the court that it intends to intervene in the case. The intervention allows the school district to participate in the proceeding because the outcome of the assessment challenge could affect the local property-tax base.
Ampersand is seeking to eliminate the $750,000 assessment, which could change how the tax burden is distributed among taxable properties. It is also seeking legal costs and other relief.
The city has not yet filed a response.
It’s not the first time Ampersand and the city have been at odds. More than 8 petitions have been filled by the hydro company against the city since 2017.
