39.0°,
Fair 'Everything to gain, nothing to lose'
Posted
Close to 80 Baldwin residents, armed with their tax bills and tough questions, packed the Kevin B. Kamen Community Room for an hour-and-a-half forum with the tax man. The hot topic was property assessment, as many residents either did not understand the complicated system; felt that their property had been incorrectly assessed, and thus were paying higher taxes; or were looking for information on how to file assessment grievances.
Clavin explained that while his office sends and receives tax bills, Nassau County is the municipality that determines assessment. He went on to say that no one should settle for the number that the county’s assessment office has determined, and should take advantage of the relatively simple process of filing a grievance to challenge it. A grievance application form can be obtained at the county’s assessment office, located at 240 Old Country Road, the town headquarters, 200 North Franklin Avenue, or online, at www.nassaucountyny.gov. Residents must also obtain information on five "comp-houses," which are homes in the neighborhood that the homeowner feels should be equally assessed to their own. According to Clavin, many local realtors will provide this information free of charge, and public libraries often keep records of home sold over the last year. He urged residents to use the county assessment Web site, mynassauproperty.com for research purposes, where they can view information on surrounding residential properties, all of which is public information, though he personally advised against filing a grievance through the Web site.
Residents can file grievances through an attorney or on their own. If using an attorney, the homeowner must pay a $35 processing fee. For those who decide to take the lawyer route, Clavin urged residents to contact the Nassau County Bar Association for recommended attorneys,
If the lawyer is successful in reducing a home’s assessed value, the homeowner must also pay the lawyer 50 percent of that reduction. Clavin said that anyone suspecting that their property was incorrectly assessed should file a grievance, and considering the March 2 deadline, should start now. Even if denied, Clavin said, residents have the option of filing a small claims action against the county.
"The clock is ticking," said Clavin. "Do not wait anymore. You have everything to gain from challenging your assessment, and nothing to lose."
Some Baldwin residents were so concerned about their property assessments, that many of them used their lunch break, or even took the day off from work to attend the weekday afternoon forum. Some knew extremely little about the assessment process, while others were surprised to learn that they could have saved hundreds of dollars during previous tax cycles by taking advantage of rebates.
Resident Laurette Backer said she saw her home's value decrease by $80,000 last year. Despite filing a grievance with the county assessment office, Backer said she hasn't received a response from them in close to a year. She added that the forum was very educational and said she intends to take advantage of the STAR program during the next tax year.
"I got a lot of clarity coming [to the forum]," said Backer. "I like the fact that we went through each specific form."
Michelle Smith purchased her Baldwin home for $500,000 two years ago, and immediately did renovations on nearly every square inch of her home, including ripping up carpets, replacing floors, installing a new kitchen, redoing two-and-a-half bathrooms, the basement, and even getting a new roof. The county assessed her home's value at $545,000. Though she admitted not fully understanding the assessment system, she feels that in light of all the work she had done, that figure should be significantly
higher.
"I'm trying to figure out how they got these numbers," said Smith, pointing to her tax bill. "I don't understand it, and it worries me."
Tax Exemptions
There are also several tax exemptions available to the public, ranging from school district exemptions, volunteer workers, veterans and senior citizens.
The Basic School Tax Relief (STAR) rebate is available to primary residence homeowners, regardless of age or income. The application period for this rebate is from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, and once accepted, residents are automatically renewed every year. This rebate can save hundreds of dollars annually, according to Clavin.
The Enhanced STAR rebate is available to homeowners 65 years of age or older (or turning 65 during the tax year) whose combined income is less than $73,000. Clavin said this rebate offers savings in the thousands of dollars.
Volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers can receive a 10-percent reduction in property taxes. Qualifications include five years of qualified service and being a resident of the Town of Hempstead. An unmarried spouse of a deceased volunteer with 20 years of service may continue to receive the exemption.
Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces during wartime can also apply for partial exemption from county, town and highway taxes. Cold War veterans — who served between Sept. 2, 1945 and December 26, 1991 — are also eligible for veterans exemption.
A tax exemption for senior citizens who own their property for at least one year and make less than $36,400 a year are eligible for a reduction of between 5 and 50 percent depending on income.
For more information on additional tax exemptions, call the county Department of Assessment at (516) 571-1500.
Making cents of your tax bill
The town's tax office has made many changes to the general tax bill, making it cheaper to process and mail, as well as make the bill itself more understandable to the average person.
The general tax bill is now sent out in two pages, which are in standard-size paper format as opposed to the original, which was special-order paper that cost more both to order and to mail.
In addition, the bill is broken down so residents can see what portion of their payment went to which entity, such as the county, town, or special district.
"Taxes should not be a mystery," Clavin said. "You should know what you're paying, and who you're paying it to. Take the time to review your bill. Don't assume it's perfect."
If you missed this tax workshop, there are still others being held in the near future courtesy of County Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin). Scannell has invited members of the county Assessment Review Commission to a series of workshops where residents can learn how to challenge the assessed value of their properties. The Baldwin Public Library will hold one on Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 7-9 p.m. For more information and additional forums in the Baldwin area, call Legislator Scannell's office at (516) 571-6205.
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
Clavin explained that while his office sends and receives tax bills, Nassau County is the municipality that determines assessment. He went on to say that no one should settle for the number that the county’s assessment office has determined, and should take advantage of the relatively simple process of filing a grievance to challenge it. A grievance application form can be obtained at the county’s assessment office, located at 240 Old Country Road, the town headquarters, 200 North Franklin Avenue, or online, at www.nassaucountyny.gov. Residents must also obtain information on five "comp-houses," which are homes in the neighborhood that the homeowner feels should be equally assessed to their own. According to Clavin, many local realtors will provide this information free of charge, and public libraries often keep records of home sold over the last year. He urged residents to use the county assessment Web site, mynassauproperty.com for research purposes, where they can view information on surrounding residential properties, all of which is public information, though he personally advised against filing a grievance through the Web site.
Residents can file grievances through an attorney or on their own. If using an attorney, the homeowner must pay a $35 processing fee. For those who decide to take the lawyer route, Clavin urged residents to contact the Nassau County Bar Association for recommended attorneys,
If the lawyer is successful in reducing a home’s assessed value, the homeowner must also pay the lawyer 50 percent of that reduction. Clavin said that anyone suspecting that their property was incorrectly assessed should file a grievance, and considering the March 2 deadline, should start now. Even if denied, Clavin said, residents have the option of filing a small claims action against the county.
"The clock is ticking," said Clavin. "Do not wait anymore. You have everything to gain from challenging your assessment, and nothing to lose."
Resident Laurette Backer said she saw her home's value decrease by $80,000 last year. Despite filing a grievance with the county assessment office, Backer said she hasn't received a response from them in close to a year. She added that the forum was very educational and said she intends to take advantage of the STAR program during the next tax year.
"I got a lot of clarity coming [to the forum]," said Backer. "I like the fact that we went through each specific form."
Michelle Smith purchased her Baldwin home for $500,000 two years ago, and immediately did renovations on nearly every square inch of her home, including ripping up carpets, replacing floors, installing a new kitchen, redoing two-and-a-half bathrooms, the basement, and even getting a new roof. The county assessed her home's value at $545,000. Though she admitted not fully understanding the assessment system, she feels that in light of all the work she had done, that figure should be significantly
higher.
"I'm trying to figure out how they got these numbers," said Smith, pointing to her tax bill. "I don't understand it, and it worries me."
Tax Exemptions
There are also several tax exemptions available to the public, ranging from school district exemptions, volunteer workers, veterans and senior citizens.
The Basic School Tax Relief (STAR) rebate is available to primary residence homeowners, regardless of age or income. The application period for this rebate is from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, and once accepted, residents are automatically renewed every year. This rebate can save hundreds of dollars annually, according to Clavin.
The Enhanced STAR rebate is available to homeowners 65 years of age or older (or turning 65 during the tax year) whose combined income is less than $73,000. Clavin said this rebate offers savings in the thousands of dollars.
Volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers can receive a 10-percent reduction in property taxes. Qualifications include five years of qualified service and being a resident of the Town of Hempstead. An unmarried spouse of a deceased volunteer with 20 years of service may continue to receive the exemption.
Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces during wartime can also apply for partial exemption from county, town and highway taxes. Cold War veterans — who served between Sept. 2, 1945 and December 26, 1991 — are also eligible for veterans exemption.
A tax exemption for senior citizens who own their property for at least one year and make less than $36,400 a year are eligible for a reduction of between 5 and 50 percent depending on income.
For more information on additional tax exemptions, call the county Department of Assessment at (516) 571-1500.
Making cents of your tax bill
The town's tax office has made many changes to the general tax bill, making it cheaper to process and mail, as well as make the bill itself more understandable to the average person.
The general tax bill is now sent out in two pages, which are in standard-size paper format as opposed to the original, which was special-order paper that cost more both to order and to mail.
In addition, the bill is broken down so residents can see what portion of their payment went to which entity, such as the county, town, or special district.
"Taxes should not be a mystery," Clavin said. "You should know what you're paying, and who you're paying it to. Take the time to review your bill. Don't assume it's perfect."
If you missed this tax workshop, there are still others being held in the near future courtesy of County Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin). Scannell has invited members of the county Assessment Review Commission to a series of workshops where residents can learn how to challenge the assessed value of their properties. The Baldwin Public Library will hold one on Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 7-9 p.m. For more information and additional forums in the Baldwin area, call Legislator Scannell's office at (516) 571-6205.
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
Report an inappropriate comment
Comments