The Town of Barre, NY, website is in no way all-inclusive of information about our town government or community. The Town of Barre maintains this website to enhance public access to information. This service is continually under development, and we will make every effort to keep this site current, and to correct errors that are brought to our attention. Some pages on this website contain hypertext links to information created and maintained by other public or private organizations. Please be aware that we do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Furthermore, the inclusion of such links is not intended to reflect their importance, or that we endorse any views expressed about products or services offered by that organization.
Important Dates in the Assessment Cycle
March 1st: Taxable Status Date – Deadline for filing exemption applications
May 1st: Tentative Assessment Roll is filed
Grievance Day – 4th Tuesday in May: Board of Assessment Review meets to hear all properly filed complaints regarding assessments
July 1st: Final Assessment Roll is filed – The assessed value of each property on the final roll is used for tax purposes for the next year
Informal Review Process
The Assessor’s Office will continue to offer property owners an Informal Review Process. If you feel your assessment is incorrect then you must provide the Assessor with reasonable information, based on market sales, that supports your opinion of market value.
It is the goal of the Assessor’s Office to determine the fair and equitable assessment for your property.
Duties of the Assessor
The assessor is the official who estimates the value of real property within the town boundaries. This value is converted into an assessment, which is one component in the computation of real property tax bills. The assessor maintains the assessment roll – the document that contains every property’s assessment. To do this, the physical description, or inventory, and value estimate of every parcel of real estate in the town is kept up-to-date. All assessment information is public record and available for inspection in the office. The assessment roll shows assessments and appropriate exemptions.
Who Do I Contact With My Questions?
The assessor is continually communicating with the public, answering questions, and dealing with concerns raised by taxpayers. Anyone can examine the assessment roll and property records at any time.
It is up to individual property owners to monitor their own assessments. Taxpayers who feel they are not being fairly assessed should meet with the assessor before the tentative assessment roll is established. In an informal setting the assessor can explain how the assessment was determined and the rationale behind it.
Assessors are interested only in fairly assessing property in their assessing unit. If your assessment is correct and your tax bill still seems too high, the assessor cannot change that. Complaints to the assessor must be about how property is assessed.
Informal meetings with assessors to resolve assessment questions about the next assessment roll can take place throughout the year. If, after speaking with your assessor, you still feel you are unfairly assessed, ask for the booklet, How to File a Complaint on Your Assessment. It describes how to prepare and file a complaint with the Board of Assessment Review for an assessment reduction and indicates the time it can be done. To learn more about the assessment process, please call the Assessor at 589-5100 ext. 104 or send a fax to 589-2510.
The “important links” at the top are easy-to-understand and very informative brochures published by the NYS Office of Real Property Services. They are also available at the NYS Office of Real Property Services website and the Town of Barre Assessor’s Office.