ASSESSING OFFICE

---

DUE TO COVID-19 -- NEW PROCEDURES FOR SUBMISSION OF ALL EXEMPTION(S) OR OTHER TYPES OF PAPERWORK

OPTION 1:    IN-PERSON   

Call the office at 315-689-9031 x5

Please note that the office(s) could close unexpectedly, if you decide to come in to the office, please call before coming in.

OPTION 2:    BY MAIL  

Mailing address is:   

Town of Elbridge 

Assessor’s Office
PO Box 568 

Jordan, NY 13080

OPTION 3:    DROP BOX   

There is a drop-box located on the left-side of the Town’s office entrance.  Put completed paperwork in an envelope and mark it “Assessor’s Office", and note the date on the envelope that you dropped it off, and we will receive it.

Supply the original exemption form and copies of documentation as noted on form(s), prior to March 1st.

If you are unable to make copies and you are either mailing-in or using the drop box and your documentation is original, attach a note on it stating that this is your original paperwork and to please return it to you.  We will make the copies that we need and return your original to you by mail.

Of course if you have any questions please call the office at 315-689-9031 x5.

EXEMPTIONS – Filing Deadline is March 1st 

If you are turning 65 years of age, please contact the Assessor's Office prior to March 1st.

If you own and reside in your own residence and will be 65 years of age or older by the year-end you should review your 2021 tax returns for your income information:

For the Sr STAR use your federal adjusted gross income and minus any taxable IRA’s.  This amount must be less than $93,200

For low Sr Citizen exemption your income must be less than $37,400.  Income will include full social security, pensions, salary and wages [including bonuses], interest, non-taxable interest, dividends, pension or retirement plans, gains from sales or exchanges, net business income [ex.: profession or business, farming, rental], depreciation, income from estates and trusts, annuity payments, unemployment [a 1099 is available online for unemployment], disability, alimony, workers compensation, earnings on IRA’s. 

Should you have any IRA’s be sure to include the IRA’s year-end summary/statement sheet for 2021, usually about 6-8+ pages.

If you are unsure you may call our office at 315.689.9031 x5 or bring in your 2021 income information and we can review it for you.

STAR UPDATE

New STAR applicants will receive a credit in the form of a check directly from New York State instead of receiving a school property tax exemption.  NEW property owners applying for Basic and Enhanced/Sr STAR need to register with the New York State Tax Department to receive a STAR check. Visit www.tax.ny.gov or call (518) 457-2036 to register.

The Elbridge Assessing Office still administers UPGRADING EXISTING Basic STAR exemptions TO Enhanced STAR exemption.  After the initial change, the Enhanced STAR exemption will no longer need renewing in our office as New York State will monitor the exemption requirement directly.

The Senior Citizen Low Income Exemption (RP-467) remains the same; the Towns Assessing Office takes in all original applications and sends yearly renewal applications with instructions.

 If you had already signed up with our office for the Income Verification Program (IVP) for the Enhanced/Sr STAR and the state had notified you that you were lowered to a Basic STAR, you need to do nothing.  New York State notifies our office annually as to whether you qualify for the Enhanced/Sr STAR or not.  You can confirm if you are on the Sr STAR program by either reviewing your school tax bill or logging in to the county and follow the screen directions to pull up your property information at the following prompt:  CLICK HERE 

​OTHER EXEMPTIONS

ALL EXEMPTION APPLICATIONS MUST BE FILED BY MARCH 1ST

Our office processes various other types of exemptions. For more information and/or an application with instructions, call or stop in to the office.

To name a few of these exemptions they are:

​Agricultural*, Business, Disability/Limited Income*, Sr Citizen Low Income*, Sr STAR Exemption (those still eligible, see STAR Update), Solar, Veterans – Alternative (during time of war) Veterans – Cold War (not during time of war), Veterans Disability*

​Note: Sr STAR and Low Sr Citizen exemptions are not the same exemption, they are independent of each other.

* Exemptions that are renewed annually​​

RENEWALS

Renewals are mailed out annually in the fall; once received you may file your renewal and information with our office early. For 2023, income based renewals will be using 2021 income. Those that do not renew by March 1st will lose their exemption for the coming assessment roll year. When you receive your renewal application you may bring in all your information at that time for the following year. If there were extenuating circumstances as to why you did not file on time you will need to write a statement as to the reasoning as well as complete form RP-524 for grievance that needs to be filed with our office by 4:00 PM June 6, 2023.

PROCEDURES FOR INFORMAL HEARINGS & GRIEVANCE HEARINGS

Please call our office to schedule an appointment for either Informal or Grievance Hearings.

Any owner contesting their assessment that has recently purchased or is currently listing their property should bring the MLS listing, signed purchase agreement, property appraisal and any additional pertinent information available. For all others, please provide any useful information for the basis of your claim including photographs, street listings, comparisons, or an appraisal that was done within the past three years. All information will become the property of the Town of Elbridge and will be kept confidential.

We ask that any commercial properties supply an income and expense statement or business income tax returns as they will be requested for grievance.

Grievance forms need to be completed and returned prior to grievance day to receive an appointment time.

Walk-ins will still be accepted and scheduled by the grievance board on that day, but you will need to register with the Assessing Office first as well as signing in at the grievance meeting room.

GRIEVANCE PROCESS

The Assessing year is from July 1st to June 30th. Throughout the year property owners can come in and meet personally with the Assessor, by appointment, to discuss their property information. Our Taxable Status Date is March 1st [Exemption Application filing deadline]. From March 1st through to May 1st there are processes that the Assessor goes through in reviewing property assessments. A Tentative Assessment Roll is filed as of May 1st and notices are sent out to those property owners who’s Assessed Values have been changed. At that point and time, you can come in and meet with the Assessor while she is "Sitting with The Assessment Roll (SWR)", that are on certain days at particular times. After SWR is Grievance Day when you can meet with the Board of Assessment Review (a panel of three to five members) and grieve your assessment to the Board, not the Assessor. The Assessor or the Assessor’s representative will be on hand for the Assessment Board to ask questions of him/her if needed. Once the Assessment Board hears all grievances they go into a closed session and make their determinations. Within a couple of weeks, you will receive a notice from the Board of Assessment Review as to whether they upheld the Assessor's determination of assessment or if they adjusted the assessment. Beyond Grievance is the Small Claims Hearing (see Small Claims on NYST&F website) for residential properties, your last stop. [NOTE: You cannot go to Small Claims if you have not gone through your Town's Grievance process.] You would need to file a Petition at the County Clerk's Office, as well as copies to other offices, see Small Claims instructions.

ADDRESS or NAME CHANGE REQUEST

For any listed property owner(s) to change their mailing address all owner(s) must sign the completed form, otherwise only signature owners address(es) will be adjusted. Please be sure to list all property(ies) address(es) and parcel ID(s) needing to be changed, be sure to read and submit all required information as stated on the form.  If this is a Business owned property, please do this on your Company’s letterhead with an authorizing signature. If you have a name change you will need to submit a certified legal document allowing the name change. (Below)

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR VALUE

The Office is responsible to maintain, update and record any changes to over 3,000 parcels. Your value or assessment is available online at Onondaga County's website www.ongov.net, along with current sales that have occurred in your area. The County's website also offers comparable sales information, grievance forms and information (RP-524) as well as copies of tax maps. To review any questions about your assessment information, appointments are available after January 1st to discuss concerns. Please call the Assessing Office at 315-689-9031 ext. 5 to schedule appointments.