This time we thought we
would look at White Pine, all the homes built in the 1970s and 1980s except for
one home built in 1939--huh! Anyone who lived here in the 1960s knows
that there was definitely not a home there prior to 1972. But mistakes do
happen! Looks
like more of the tax map problems just like Imperial Drive, Sanger Ave,
Tilden Ave., Chapman Road,
Twyndom Terrace, Hughes Lane Roman Road
and Tibbitts Road and
Sleepy Hollow Lane.
This report is a pdf document and will print on a 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper.
White Pine
is off Higby Road and is Neighborhood Code 4807 (Older Subdivision)--no
wait--it's Neighborhood Code 4809 (Newer Subdivision)--no, actually it is both!
Funny, the homes all appear to be built within about a 12 year timeframe.
Look at 9 White Pine built in 1974--Neighborhood Code 4809 (Newer
Subdivision) yet 1 White Pine built in 1975 is in Neighborhood Code 4807
(Older Subdivision). Now I see,
White Pine
is a tax map number problem. Parcels with tax map numbers starting
with 340.005 are Neighborhood Code 4807 and parcels with tax map numbers
starting with 330.017 are Neighborhood Code 4809. Rather odd that there would be
Neighborhood
Codes with descriptions when indeed they didn't even bother using
them. I think everyone actually got the idea from the assessor's office
that they grouped "like" homes. Isn't that what the "comparables" were supposed to be?
Looks like they got one over on us!
So if I lived on White Pine, for example, and I want to grieve my assessment, what
should I do? Use Neighborhood 4807 or 4809 as comparable homes?
Or should I compare square feet or year built or a little of
everything? Do I only look for the same style home? Or
should I use tax map numbers like the assessor did? I'm
confused! How can I tell if my home is fairly assessed when you
tell me that a similar home on my own street is in a different
neighborhood? Help!! Just what is the criteria for
evaluating whether or not I am fairly assessed??#%@*????!!
On the spreadsheet, column headings for Year 2002 are
highlighted in yellow
because that is the year that Neighborhood Code 4809 should have been part of the reassessment program.
As you will see some of these home were reassessed in 2003,
highlighted in pink.
Neighborhood Code 4807 (Older Subdivision) was reassessed in 2003.
However, 5 of the 20 homes,
highlighted in gray, were
not reassessed in
2002 or 2003--that means that 25% of the homes on White Pine
were only trended 10% in 2004 and not reassessed.
So some people had to grieve their assessment and then go to Small
Claims Court while others had to do nothing!
If you have read any of our other reports, 25% comes up a lot.
It is almost like someone decided that 25% of the homes in New
Hartford did not need to be reassessed. Wonder how they came up
with that figure. And let's not forget that in 2004, Neighborhood Code
4807 (Older Subdivisions) was trended 5.5% and Neighborhood Code 4809
(Newer Subdivisions) was trended 10%. Fair assessing in the Town of New Hartford?
You decide.
If you haven't read our report "The Rest of the
Story" , you might want to do that now--it will help clarify the tax map number question.
Let me stress this again. The equalization rate is determined by the State using
their estimation of the Total Assessed Value of the Town of New Hartford vs. the actual total assessed value of
properties in the Town of New Hartford. Therefore, if there are a lot of under-assessed homes in New Hartford, the
equalization rate takes a nosedive every time one of those homes sells for more than the assessed
value. Not to mention the fact that it just isn't fair to make some people have to grieve
their assessment while others sit on there a$$, nor should anyone have to pay more than their fair share and
clearly everyone should be paying their fair share. Believe me everyone is affected
by this type of "selective reassessing".
Take a look at our other spreadsheets (in pdf format--you will need 8.5 by 14 paper
to print or you will have to piece smaller sheets together after printing) Paris Road, Higby Road, Jordan Road and Lloyds Lane. More
streets will be added.
Please keep watching this site if you want to know what really
happened. Email us
New Hartford, N.Y. Online if you have any questions or better yet, check with the assessor to see if he agrees with our reports
and then ask him "How Come?"
| 
