Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Gordon Woodworth, Chronicle News Editor
The City of Glens Falls is seeking proposals for a city-wide re-assessment.
“We sent a Request for Proposals out at the end of last year and got just one response,” Mayor Dan Hall told The Chronicle, “so we sent out another one that is due back at the end of February. We want to see what it will cost and what methodology they will use. We are looking for someone to evaluate each property individually”
The last re-valuation was done in 2004-05 in coordination with the Town of Queensbury. That cost the City $120,000, according to City Clerk Bob Curtis.
“I have a feeling the cost will be higher than that this time,” Mayor Hall said, adding that the City would pay for it out of the contingency fund or create a line in the 2021 budget.
“We want to do what is best for the community,” he said. “A re-valuation would level the playing field. If we do it, we would go to 100% of assessed value. Right now we’re at 75%, but I believe the state is going to mandate that everyone go to 100%. In that case, the tax rate would go down.”
He said, “It’s time to see what the values really are. We’re thinking, let’s do it. It’s been 15 years.”
The state Department of Taxation and Finance says on its website, “Municipal-wide reassessments are the best way to ensure that assessments are fair and accurate.”
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