Denenberg Shows Residents How to Grieve Assessment

On the evening of Thursday, Jan. 21, Bellmore homeowners gathered for a public seminar on filing property value assessment grievances.

The seminar was staged by Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick) and was held at the North Bellmore Public Library. A throng of local residents crowded into the seminar's room location to listen to and participate in the discussion.

Nassau County's Department of Assessment annually reassesses the values of residential and commercial properties and correspondingly adjusts yearly property tax levies on the basis of these assessments. Over the past decade, the county's assessment program has generated much controversy, with many property owners complaining that the assessments that their properties receive do not accurately reflect their actual values – that is, the assessments are too high – thereby resulting in the owners having to pay inappropriately high property taxes.

Last year, Nassau County Assessor Thaddeus J. Jankowski, Jr. received intense criticism from the media and county legislators after issuing a report that despaired of the high percentage of county property owners that had elected to file assessment grievances – at least 30 percent, more than any other county in the state except New York City – while at the same time acknowledging that many properties had indeed received unfairly high assessments. Since that time, legislators such as Denenberg have been actively campaigning to spur residents of their respective districts to proceed with filing assessment grievances.

The seminar at the North Bellmore library is the second that Denenberg has staged on the issue of assessment grievances since the start of the New Year.  Denenberg himself opened the seminar with a brief introductory speech, summarizing the purpose of the workshop and the benefits of filing a grievance.  He proclaimed that it was in the best interest of all homeowners – not merely the ones that believe their respective assessments might be too high – to file grievances, even if their current assessments are lower than those of previous years. Furthermore, he said, it was completely unnecessary for any homeowner to hire an attorney to file a grievance for him or her.

"You, after tonight, can put in a better case to reduce your assessed value than any attorney," he told the audience.

In the course of his speech, Denenberg described the assessment process as an "inexact science" and noted that even a relatively small margin of error can leave a substantial number of county property owners – in the tens of thousands, at the very least – with inaccurate assessments. He also pointed out that filing a grievance is free of charge and has the potential only to lower an assessment; it cannot result in one being raised.

"It costs you nothing to put in a challenge," he said.

After he had finished speaking, Denenberg handed over the reins of the seminar to Jeff Gold, a recently appointed Civil Service commissioner and former member of the Assessment Review Commission (ARC).  Also present at the seminar was Community Services representative Helen McQueen. While Gold delivered a presentation directed at the whole of the assembly, McQueen spoke privately with individual audience members and advised them on their particular situations.

Gold reiterated Denenberg's insistence that all homeowners should file grievances, telling the audience, "Even if [you think] your number is spot on, there's a chance you might save money."

He likewise warned against hiring an attorney, claiming that attorneys will often take as much as 60 percent of the estimated savings in successful grievances as their fees.

As Gold explained, a grievance can be filed by filling out a specific application form, called an AR 1, which is available in both paper and on-line formats. In order to access the form on-line, an individual must visit Nassau County's official website and set up a free account, creating a unique User ID and password for him- or herself.  Gold distributed paper copies of AR 1 forms to members of the audience, while a large screen at the front of the room displayed the on-line version.  He then provided step-by-step instructions on filling out the forms.

Gold stressed that there were two very important aspects to filling out an AR 1 form that property owners often overlook when doing so. The first is signing the form, which is necessary to obligate the ARC to read it; the on-line version of the form is "signed" using a password.  The second is listing an estimated market value for one's property.  Gold noted that only serious and accurate estimations will be considered by the commission, which consults with qualified appraisers on grievances.

In order to estimate a market value for one's own property, Gold explained, a homeowner should refer to what are called "comparables" or "comps" – that is, recently sold properties in close proximity to that of the homeowner that are of comparable size and model.  Gold stressed that only a property that has been sold and not one that is currently up for sale can qualify as a comparable.

A homeowner can find a viable comparable either by using the Sale Locator service on the ARC's website, visiting such websites as Domania.com that also specialize in tracking real estate sales, or by consulting reference books such asComps that are often available in local libraries.  For those in attendance at the seminar that were unable or unwilling to use the internet, Gold personally searched the web himself and found comparables for them.

AR 1 forms, both in paper format and on-line, provide homeowners with opportunities to include comments and attach photographs or other documents that illustrate extenuating circumstances concerning their properties that could potentially lower their estimated market values (and thus their assessments).  These may include unfinished rooms or floors, close proximities to parkways or railroad tracks, substandard rent incomes, crumbling foundations, flood-prone basements, neighborhood gang activities, and a host of other conditions.

"There can be pretty much anything that affects value," Gold said.

He also assured the audience that the ARC is much more receptive to public complaints and concerns than it had been years ago.

"There are people on the other end [of the phone] listening to you," he said.  "They're all people, and they understand."

He even said that a homeowner can arrange for an ARC representative to visit and tour his or her property.

By the end of the seminar, the majority of audience members appeared confident that they were capable of filing grievances on their own and could make valid arguments for their assessments being lowered. They sincerely thanked both Gold and McQueen for providing assistance.

The deadline for filing an assessment grievance this year is March 1.  A grievance will address the potential tax levy for the 2011/12 fiscal year.  Denenberg intends to stage at least two more seminars on assessment grievances prior to the March deadline.  The first is currently scheduled for 11 a.m. on Feb. 20 at the Merrick Library and the second is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 at the Bellmore Memorial Library.

For more information on filing an assessment grievance, visit the ARC's Web site or call 571-3214. You can also file an assessment grievance online.