BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — Ogdensburg residents hoping to meet with the assessor prior to Grievance Day won’t have that chance unless they’ve already locked in an appointment.

In a release issued June 6, the city noted it is no longer accepting appointments for assessor meetings.

Ogdensburg City Council hired GAR Associates, Williamsville, to conduct a citywide reassessment of properties at a cost estimated at $200,000 to $225,000.

The revaluation created an understandable stir in the Ogdensburg community and caused several city residents to share their assessments.

Some residents saw their assessments triple, others saw increases of more than $100,000.

In recent weeks residents have had a chance to plea their cases to GAR Associates and the assessor.

At least one resident said that after meeting with GAR and the assessor, the proposed increase dropped down to by $100,000.

In total, the new assessment were expected to raise the city’s property value by $85 million, but that number will likely come down some as residents continue to grieve their assessments.

The window to make those complaints is closing soon with Grievance Day set for June 13.

There residents will be able to plead their case to the Board of Assessment Review.

The Board of Assessment review will take appointments and walk-ins from 10 a.m. to noon, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

All property owners must bring with them the completed RP-524 form and any walk-ins must be registered on or before 8 p.m. on June 13.

RP-524 forms are available at City Hall and online: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/current_forms/orpts/rp524_fill_in.pdf

Property owners will have 5 minutes to verbally present their request and submit their completed RP-524 to the BAR.

Those who do not wish to speak with the board BAR, or those unable to attend in person on June 13, can submit a completed RP-524 in advance to city staff at City Hall, 330 Ford Street, Suite 6.

The Board of Assessment and Review will not make a determination on Grievance Day.

The findings of the BAR will be reflected in the publication of the city’s final assessment roll on or around August 1, 2023.

If property owners disagree with the findings of the BAR, they will have the option of contesting their assessment through the judicial review process.

In order to pursue judicial review, you must first go through administrative review with the BAR.

The judicial review includes two options.

The first is to file a Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR). This is a low-cost option available to most homeowners. Information on that process can be found at www.nycourts.gov/litigants/scar/generalinfo.shtml

The second is a Tax certiorari proceedings in State Supreme Court. Those hoping to pursue this option, should consider contacting an attorney.

While assessment revaluations are typically contentious, Ogdensburg’s has been particularly messy.

Councilors and citizens alike have raised concerns about Gar Associate’s preliminary reassessment letters which many say appear to be wildly off base.

Some residents reported the new revaluation proposes tripling their current assessments, others saw hikes of more than $100,000.

Additionally the city assessor resigned amid the revaluation process, which made it impossible for residents to have their concerns addressed though the proper channels for a brief period of time.

Although the city has since hired a new assessor and things have reportedly been running more smoothly since.

City Councilor John Rishe went as far as requesting council reject the new assessments due to the problems in the process, but he was unable to secure adequate votes to move the plan forward.

Ogdensburg Mayor Jeffrey M. Skelly shared some of the concerns raised by Rishe, but said he was reluctant to walk away from a quarter-million dollar investment spent for the work.

Though he says he would have supported extending the process and waiting to implement the new assessments until next year, that too never came to fruition.